Bunnies, Hosts, and Bakers
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: Oh, how did I end up getting involved with this group? Oh that's right. I saved what I thought was a kid from being hit by a car. Turns out, he's older than me and part of some strange club. And now they know where I work... and how I'm treated... God, what am I going to do? HoneyxMale OC
1. Chapter 1

**Came up with this one while reading "Bread & Butter" (manga) and thought there wasn't enough average sized OC characters being paired up with Honey. Everyone always seems to make his match short like him and/or with an obsession with sweets and some stuffed animal of some kind and trained in martial arts. I hoped this would be different from the norm. PS. I know very little about _actual baking,_ so my bad if there's something wrong. Warning: there is mentions of homophobia in this. None of it is my opinion. All of this is fiction.**

* * *

The scents and smells of freshly baked bread swirled throughout the bakery as I took the trays carefully out of the oven and placed them on the counter. My stomach growled and my mouth watered, but I pushed through my hunger and began setting up the front for when the shop opened. The coffee maker was turned on and I set out the baguettes and bagels, the anpans and bread rolls, pretzels and scones, donuts and sourdough, French bread, croissants, and many other varieties of bread. All freshly baked, myself having started early this morning so that they would all be finished by the time we opened. I say 'we' but for the most part, I'm the only one running this place.

It's a small bakery/café that most would pass if they hadn't caught scent of the smell. A hole-in-the-wall store with not much more than bread, drinks, and the occasional sweet to be sold. There were diligent customers that came often though. People who, after having tried the bread, would come again and again claiming that it was different from other bread they've had. I didn't mind. More work, sure, but that also meant more money to keep the shop going. That, and I enjoyed the pleased expressions that the customers made while eating from my shop. It was nice to feel as though something I did made a difference in someone's day.

I stretched my arms over my head with a yawn and went back into the kitchen, pulling out the items to be in the refrigerated display and carefully carrying them to the front. Tarts, pies, cakes, cookies, éclairs, cheesecake, and other such items joined the bread and I started wiping off the counter from all the flour that had come off my apron and dropped on the smooth granite surface. Checking the clock, I noticed that I had maybe twenty minutes before the shop needed to be opened and I frowned. _Where is that idiot Chiharu? She was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago._ I groaned, questioning why my parents hired her when all she does is sit around on her phone.

Shaking my head, I grabbed myself a cup of coffee and stripped out of my apron, heading to the backroom and grabbing my school bag, digging out my clothes and changing. Once I was dressed in my black pants, white dress shirt, red tie, and black jacket I went back out to the front just in time to catch Chiharu trying to sneak in.

"You're late." I growled, not pleased as she tilted her head back and groaned loudly.

"Ugh, I swear you've got like a sixth sense or something!" She complained, tossing up her hands. "You _always_ catch me!"

"That's because you're always late." I said with a roll of my eyes as I grabbed a croissant, dropping my own money into the cash register and cut the bread in half, filling it with some cheese and lettuce and turkey I'd grabbed from the fridge. "At least take _down_ the orders this time. I know my parents pay you to spy on me, but you could at least do that much."

"I'll think about it." She said, going to her usual chair behind the counter and pulling out her iPod and a magazine from her purse; a loud 'snap' coming from the gum she was chewing making me wince.

"And stop chewing gum at work! It's freakin' rude!"

With that, I stormed out of the shop and began my trek to school, muttering under my breath.

"Stupid parents, hiring someone like her. I don't need babysitting. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'll flirt with the customers. I'm not stupid. Che." I pulled a hand through my black and dark violet streaked hair.

I had every right to be upset. I had come out to my parents last month and they completely hated that fact, practically disowning me and kicking me out of the house to fend for myself. They still wanted me working in the bakery though, because I brought in money when they needed it. My mother is a magazine editor and my father is a police officer. Neither of which made a whole lot, thus explaining their need for me to keep working. The shop wasn't even ours, technically. It was my grandfather's, who'd passed away a year previously. I had been working there since I was about 8, having always loved helping him carry out the bread and smelling the scents and such. He was the one who taught me how to enjoy even the smallest things in life, but ever since he passed away, I felt like I've lost sight of that. The only thing I had left was the bakery that he left behind for me, but I couldn't even have that until I was 18 and independent of my parents.

 _And that's still a whole two years away._ I sighed, lifting my gaze from the sidewalk and finding a curious sight not far from me. A young blonde kid was humming cheerfully eating a—rather large—ice cream cone as he crossed the street. Behind him were a group of high school students, wearing the same periwinkle uniform the blonde boy was, who had stopped to apparently shove their faces up against a glass window displaying children's toys. I couldn't quite figure out what they were so excited about and shook it off, getting ready to cross the street myself adjacent to the blonde kid. Unfortunately, I'm a nice person. So when I hear the screeching of tires and shouts, I turned to see what was going on.

"Mitsukuni!"

Quickly spotting the car rushing towards the small blonde and seeing him only just barely notice it, I ran over, dropping my bag, and diving across the street for him. I felt my arms wrap around him and ignored the squelching of his ice cream hitting the street, I protected him the best I could as my body collided with the concrete and the car sped away. I groaned quietly as I sat up, one arm still wrapped around the blonde's waist, and I checked him over.

"You alright?"

"Ah, yeah! I'm okay!" He said, looking over himself briefly before turning to give me a grin. "Thanks! You saved me!"

"Yeah, it was, uh, no problem, I guess." I said as he got off me and I went to stand, only to cringe as I did so.

My forearms were scraped pretty badly, as were my knees and my left shoulder, thus putting holes in my uniform. I could also feel areas where I knew I'd be bruised later and I frowned, knowing that my parents weren't going to be pleased at all, but I tried to not really think about it too much as I headed back to where I dropped my bag and picked up my things. Already, I could hear the blonde meeting up with the other high schoolers I'd seen earlier, but I'd rather not deal with all the drama and quietly snuck away to hurry to school, hoping that I wouldn't be late.

Unfortunately I was, but the moment I showed up to class battered and bruised, the teacher excused me and told me to hurry to the infirmary. Once I was patched up as much as the nurse could, I was sent back to classes begrudgingly and went on with my normal routine of trying to pay attention and not fall asleep or doodle in my notebook. I'm not normally a hard working A student. The best grades I used to get were the occasional B+, but I thought that if I worked hard and kept my grades up, that perhaps my parents would realize that me being gay doesn't have to be a bad thing. It was stupid thinking, personally, and despite the fact that I'd been studying hard for the past year they hadn't paid one bit of attention to what I had to say about anything. And yet, I couldn't help but think, maybe if I get into a good college they'd finally listen, so I continued to struggle with my studies in an attempt to make them notice me. Eventually, school was out and I left with a sigh, my only friend hurrying over to my side.

"Kosuke! Kooooosuke!"

I stopped walking and turned my head, waiting for the pouting brown haired idiot to catch up with me.

"Mo, you walk too fast! Why didn't you wait for me?" He whined as we started walking again.

"Because I need to go to work. Who knows what Chiharu did while I was gone."

"Ehhhhhh? That's it? And here I was worried thinking you were going home to rest after saving some kid from getting hit." He leaned forwards, eyeing the bandages along my forearms that were visible since I rolled up my jacket sleeves. "You got pretty banged up, after all."

He poked my arm, sending a spike of pain up to my shoulder and I punched him in the back of the head.

"The hell! That _hurts_ you know!"

He rubbed the lump forming on his head with a chuckle, grinning playfully. "Heh, just checking~"

"Well stop _checking_." I scolded, rubbing the area with a wince as I grumbled under my breath. "Baking is going to be a pain."

"Leave it to me!" He said loudly, holding up a fist with his other hand on his bicep. "I'll do all the heavy lifting!"

I sweat dropped. "There's almost no heavy lifting in baking, you idiot, and I already told you before that my parents won't let you come in the bakery after what happened."

He pouted, stuffing his hands deeply into his pants pockets. "That sucks. They really think you'll end up flirting in the workplace or something? You're the _last_ guy I'd see doing that. You're about as emotional as a rock."

"Oi." I muttered with a glare, but I couldn't really hate him.

After all, Hayato was my old time friend and completely straight, so no getting any crazy ideas. Sure, he was quirky and a little off sometimes, but he was the one who convinced me to come out to my parents and supported me the whole way. I didn't know anyone who would do _half_ of what he did for me, especially not my ex, who dumped me that very same day. My parents banned Hayato from entering the bakery though, because they wouldn't listen when I told them he was straight and we didn't have any interest in each other. So the only time I saw him was at school and the few times I let him sneak over to my house when I lived with my parents—who were either not home or asleep—or vise-versa. All around though, he was a good guy, even if he was an idiot sometimes.

"Well, let me know if you have any cute girls for customers, neh?" He said cheerfully as we approached the store. "I could always do with a girlfriend, so no holding out on me."

I rolled my eyes as I opened the door. "Yeah, yeah. If I see anyone, I'll let you know."

He laughed before waving and heading home and I sighed again as I entered the shop and headed to the back, apologizing to some of the people waiting in line and putting on my apron. Chiharu was obviously taking her time with everything, so it was up to me to get things moving again.

"It's about time you got here." She complained, handing the man on the other side of the counter his bag and shoving a notepad into my chest as she walked past me, not even caring about my beat up appearance. "I'm going on break."

 _Yeah, thanks, leave_ me _with everything._ I mentally complained, though outwardly, I put on a small smile for the customers.

"So sorry about the wait. What can I get you?"

I was forced to dash around the shop, getting customers what they wanted and starting up the ovens to put in more bread as we started to run out of things. It took forever to get everyone satisfied, but after a long while of working, the shop was nearly empty with only a few people still sitting around and conversing at a table. Going into the back room, where Chiharu was messing on her phone, I caught her attention as I went over to the shop's phone.

"Hey, did you do as I asked?"

"Hm, oh. Yeah. It's over there." She said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

I felt my brow twitch as I picked up a flimsy piece of paper with pen scribbles on it. "Is this a _napkin_?"

"Sure is."

"You're lucky I know how to read idiot, or I'd have a real problem with this." I grumbled under my breath, before turning to her. "Can you watch the front while I get started on these orders?"

"If by watch, you mean call you when someone needs something, sure." She said, getting up and moving into the front as I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

 _Just don't think about it. Stay calm and just… move on._ Letting out the breath I had been holding, I moved over to the cupboards and dug out the ingredients I would need for the first order. _Three tier, black forest cake for an anniversary. Whipped cream frosting and chocolate syrup along with the usual cherry filling, and fondant roses? Geeze, that's probably going to be a little tough, but it's not something I haven't done before. I'll save the roses for last._ I pulled out my iPod and stuck in one headphone, leaving my other ear open should Chiharu call me for something, before getting to work. Eggs, sugar, flour, chocolate; everything was mixed diligently and when it was just the right consistency, I poured it into three pans and stuck them in the oven.

As the scent of chocolate cake began to fill the bakery, I moved onto the next order, two strawberry cheesecakes. Right as I was getting into the swing of things though, Chiharu called from the front.

"Oi! Cake head! Customers!"

"I'm in the middle of something! _You_ get it!" I called back, but she wasn't having that and stood in the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Table three wants more tea, and there's a group of _hot_ , high school guys asking for you. Now, unless you want me talking to your parents about them showing up here, I suggest you go and find out what they want."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, not knowing any group of hot, high school guys that would be looking for me; at least, none with any good intentions. But I'd rather just go deal with it than have Chiharu spouting some bull crap to my parents and making things worse. So I set down my things and wiped my face with my shoulder—probably smearing the flour on my face instead of getting rid of it—before heading out to the front and heating up the tea on the stove as I moved behind the cash register and called out to the regulars at table three.

"I'm reheating the tea! Give it a minute or two!"

They nodded, not looking rushed or anything, which made me smile slightly as I turned to the cash register and spoke to the group in front of me.

"What can I get you?"

When I looked up though, I paled, not expecting the excited looking group of high schoolers I saw this morning on the way to school.

"Wah! Look at all the bread! They even have baguettes, Kyoya!"

"And a wide variety of others as well. Hm."

" **The inside's pretty nice too, though the outside isn't very eye-catching."**

"Huh, I actually think it's pretty nice. Cozy, kind of."

"Ah! Look at all the sweets, Takashi!"

"Ah."

I blinked at the group, none of them really coming forward to order anything and just all around being loud and obnoxious as they found various things to criticize in the shop. A tall blonde pointed out the French bread to a dark haired, glasses fellow. Beside them a smaller brunette—and rather feminine—boy looked at things calmly next to a set of red headed twins. And then the little blonde kid I had helped earlier was there looking at the sweets with his tall, stoic companion. Chiharu was right when she said they were hot, but I was just going to keep that fact to myself. Other than that though, I didn't really know what to do, but the other customers already seated in the shop didn't seem to mind their enthusiasm and, as the whistle from the tea pot let me know it was done, I went ahead and took it to table three and refilled their cups.

"Looks like you have a rambunctious group of customers, neh, Kosuke?"

I chuckled nervously. "Seems so." I stood upright with a small smile. "Just let me know if there's anything else you need. Or let Chiharu know, if I'm back in the kitchen again."

He bowed his head and I bowed as well, before walking to put the hot tea back, only for one of the boys to grab me and start shaking me.

"You work here, right?! What else do you have?! These selections are très bon!"

I winced as his violent movements made me loose my grip on the tea pot and I accidentally dropped it, shattering it on the ground. Sighing, I pulled a hand through my hair as the blonde apologized over and over again.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have been shaking you while you were handling that!"

I waved him off, pulling a rag from my apron pocket and starting to clean up the spill, before picking up the larger of the glass pieces. "It's fine. Just stay away from here until I get it all cleaned up and… try to settle down a bit." I stood up and gave him a dull expression, trying to hide my annoyance. "This _is_ an eating establishment, not a playground."

He cowered a bit and I walked off, dropping the pieces in the trash and the rag in the sink in the kitchen as I grabbed a broom.

"I heard something break." Chiharu said, though not sounding the least bit concerned. "I'll let your parents know to take it out of your pay."

I frowned, not pleased about that. _Especially since it was_ my _tea pot in the first place._

"Thanks." I grumbled sarcastically.

Once I walked out and started sweeping, I noticed the blonde who'd made me drop the pot, sitting in a corner with a dark cloud above his head. I shook it off with a sigh and finished cleaning up the mess, before dumping it off in the trash and moving behind the cash register again, this time in the hopes of getting the group _out_ of my shop before they broke something else.

"I'm going to have to ask that you please order something."

The group was still goofing around, though I noticed a majority of them over by the blonde in the corner and I felt a little guilty as my grandfather's words came to mind.

" _Remember why we make bread, Kosuke, to make people happy."_

Begrudgingly, I got up and went to the back, grabbing what I needed to make something to cheer him up, and coming back out to the hot plate in the front and heating it up. Moments later, I poured out some batter and used a trowel spreader to flatten it out thinly. I put it to the side on a piece of paper, once it was cooked, before sprinkling it with powdered sugar and putting a strawberry spread over it; cutting slices of strawberries and laying them out on it and adding my own special mix of whip cream, before folding it carefully and wrapping it. I then picked it up and carried it over to the group, moving past them to the depressed blonde and kneeling down, holding out the crêpe.

"Here. Sorry about my rude comment before. So please stop…" I waved a hand at him nonchalantly. "…whatever this is."

He peeked out at me with teary eyes, hesitantly taking the crêpe as I stood and went back to the cash register. _Give it a minute._ I told myself, getting behind the counter and counting down in my head. _Three, two, one…_

"C'est délicieux!" The blonde shouted, standing up quickly and rushing over. "This crêpe is amazing! How did you do it?!"

"Very carefully." I said, unable to hide the hint of a smile on my face. _He's like every child that comes in here for the first time._ "Now, is there anything else you'd like?"

"Oh yes! I'll take a croissant, and a baguette, and a—"

"Tamaki." The dark haired boy with glasses walked up, distracting the blonde. "Remember why we came here."

"Right! Honey-senpai." He turned to the little blonde kid I had helped out earlier, but I mentally paused.

 _Did he call him 'senpai'?_ I looked down at the kid as he approached the counter and gave me a big grin.

"Thanks a lot for saving me!"

"Welcome." I said, just sort of staring at him a little lost.

He chuckled. "You don't talk much, do you? You're like Takashi!"

I raised a brow in confusion, before the rather _tall_ guy walked up behind him. _He's a lot taller than I thought…_ I shakily pointed to him.

"I'm guessing _that's_ Takashi?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh! But most people call him Mori! I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Honey!"

"A-Ah… Kosuke… Kosuke Saito." I blinked again in confusion, before deciding to get right down to the point. "You're… older than you look, aren't you?"

He nodded, looking really happy, for some reason. "Yup! I'm 18!"

 _E-Eighteen?! He's a whole two years older than me, but a near two feet shorter than me!_ I shrugged the thought off, before dropping my chin in my hand.

"So I'm guessing you came here for a reason then?"

He nodded, as cheerful as ever. "To say thank you!"

I sweat dropped. "You said thank you three times now."

"Because I'm really grateful!"

"R-Right…" _He's so… happy. It's a little weird, but also a bit… endearing, I suppose._ "So, are you going to buy anything? Because if not, I kind of have a bunch of orders I need to work on getting done."

"Ah! I want lots of stuff!" He said, something telling me that this order was going to be big, so I slowly brought out my notepad and a pen. "I want a piece of chocolate cake and strawberry, and cheesecake, and apple pie, and blackberry pie, and cherry pie, and three cookies, and ten cream puffs, and a cinnamon roll, and two donuts… with sprinkles! And—"

The list went on and on, and as I jotted everything down, I wondered silently where he was going to shove all this food. _Perhaps he's sharing with his friends o-or maybe he'll take most of it home, because there's no way he can—_

"Did you get all that?" He asked, still grinning brightly.

"Y-Yeah. Um, just curious, but… are you taking some of that home with you?"

He shook his head, chuckling. "No, I'm going to eat it, silly!"

I sent Takashi a look, questioning if what he was saying is true, and he nodded, not looking the least bit surprised.

I scratched the back of my head, looking down at the notepad. "Alright. If it makes you happy…"

I went around, picking up what he asked for and packing it away on a number of trays as he went to sat down, before taking the orders of the other high schoolers and doing the same. I had to push a few tables together to fit them all, but I didn't mind and I pushed the carts full of food over to them and began passing things out. About half-way through though, I suddenly stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Honey asked, but I wasn't paying attention, closing my eyes and lifting my head a bit, sniffing.

I stopped and looked over at them, bowing slightly. "You'll have to excuse me a moment, my cake layers are done."

With that, I hurried away from their table and rushed to the back, pulling out the cake pans and inhaling deeply as I set them carefully on a few wire racks, on the kitchen counter to cool. I then turned in search of Chiharu, but she had disappeared and only a note on the center counter remained. Picking it up and reading it, I frowned, before crumpling the paper in my hands and slamming it back on the counter.

"That little wench!"

Chiharu had left, apparently, to go on a date with her boyfriend and being sure to let me know that she was _still_ going to tell my parents about the broken tea pot, though it seemed she would leave out the group of high schoolers who'd come by, oddly enough. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I went back out front and gave the group a small smile, hoping that my frustration wasn't showing through.

"Sorry about that. I had to get them out or they'd burn."

Honey smiled, practically bouncing in his seat. "That's okay, Ko-kun! Could you tell they were done by the smell? I didn't hear a timer."

I nodded. "When you've cooked things a number of times, you know what they smell like when they're finished just right. That, and I have a good nose."

"Wow! But… you look super busy, Ko-kun."

I nodded, handing out the rest of the orders to his friends. "I am… quite busy."

The glasses wearing one, Kyoya, spoke up then. "Do you run this shop with the only one other employee?"

"Technically? Yes. In reality… not so much."

The blonde, Tamaki, tilted his head in confusion, still chewing on his crêpe. "What do you mean?"

I began filling up cups of water or tea, passing them around as I spoke. "I do the baking, the finances, the table waiting, and the over-the-phone orders on my own. Chiharu works the register while I'm at school and answers the phone to take down the orders sometimes."

" **Woah, you do all of that by yourself?"** The pair of red-headed twins asked. **"What about your parents?"**

"They're… busy and don't care for me too much." I said, not liking where the conversation was heading. "This was my grandfather's shop before he passed away. He gave it to me, but I still have another two years before I get full ownership. Until then, I have to go by my parent's rules and they don't help much."

"Poor Ko-kun." Honey said, looking upset, but I shrugged.

"It's a lot of work, but it pays off. I like seeing people enjoy my food." I smiled softly, handing Honey his drink to find him giving me a big smile.

"Neh, Ko-kun? Can we come here again?"

I blinked. "Sure. I mean, it's not like I'll lock the doors when I see you coming or anything."

He laughed, before looking at a plate of cake in front of him and licking his lips, quickly digging in. The first bite though, made him stop and turn to me with wide eyes.

"It's super good!"

"Thank you." I said, watching as the others of his group finally began eating with surprised looks as well.

" **Woah! It's great!"**

"Even the store by my house isn't this good…"

"It certainly is… unexpected."

"Mon ami! This is the best bread I've ever eaten!"

I thanked them again, before giving them a small bow. "I appreciate it, I work hard to make my customers happy. If you need me, just call to the back. I have a number of orders I must finish."

I left them to enjoy their food and went back to the kitchen to finish up the cheesecake and the black forest cake I had started. It took a while, and I only got an occasional call from the group out front, but eventually, I had nothing to do while some of the orders were baking. The only thing left, were the fondant roses needed for the black forest anniversary cake, but the area to prepare those was in the front. I hesitated, knowing that the group was still here to have a club meeting—or so they said—but I gathered my courage and grabbed my iPod, putting in my headphones in the hopes that some music would help block out any sounds from them and help me focus.

I stuffed my decorating bag with fondant that I had prepared and made sure I had the flat tip put on it, before I moved to the front counter were a small stand sat with a tray beside it, already covered with wax paper to put the finished roses on. I hummed quietly to myself as I worked, carefully spinning the small stand as I added petal after petal of the rose before cautiously placing it on the paper covered tray. I hadn't noticed the others watching me after a while, nor when they came over closer to watch, until they were right across from me and I had finished over a dozen fondant roses.

"Wow! That's really cool, right Takashi?!"

" **That's a lot of roses."**

"You would think it would be more time consuming, but he managed to do it in a short amount of time."

"Just shows how skilled he is as an artisan, Kyoya!"

"I'll admit, they're really neat, but I think you guys are over-reacting just a bit."

I pulled out one of my headphones and shook my head, still a little surprised. "No. It's alright. I, uh, don't mind the praise." I told the brunette as he tried to calm the others down. "But could you guys introduce yourselves again? I think I'm missing some names."

"Ah! How rude of us!" The blonde said loudly, gathering everyone up and giving an overly elaborate bow. "I am Tamaki Suoh. This man—" He gestured to the glasses guy. "—is Kyoya Ootori. Beside him is Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. Then, Honey and Mori, as you already know. And finally Haruhi Fujioka."

I glanced at them each, once again taking in their rather good looks, before giving them a small bow as well. "Kosuke Saito."

I wasn't really sure what to do once more, glancing down at the left over fondant in my bag and the lack of room on the tray, before I thought of something.

"If you want, I have enough fondant to do a few more." I said, looking back at the group as some of them grew excited. "I can let each of you have one, probably. I don't want the fondant to go to waste."

"Really?!"

I nodded, backing up a bit as Tamaki leaned over the counter. "S-Sure?"

"Yay! We get yummy roses, Takashi!" Honey cheered as I started making them, the tall, stoic man just giving a grunt of a response.

Once I finished handing out the roses to the group, I took notice of the clock on the wall and sighed, looking back at the group.

"I apologize, but I need to close up."

A majority 'aw'-ed in response, but they eventually headed out with kind waves and thanks. I still wasn't too sure what to make of the odd group of guys, but there was one thing I knew for sure.

"They really are _hot_." I muttered under my breath as I went back to the kitchen with a light blush on my cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

I sighed, gazing out the window at my school listlessly. It had been a week since the odd group had shown up at the shop and, as much as I would like to be thinking about them, I was preoccupied with other things at the moment. For one, midterms were coming up and I was trying to mentally organize my schedule in order to fit in some study-cram time. And then there was the fact that Christmas was soon approaching and I would need some new ideas in order to sell just a bit more. I had to get Hayato a gift, after all. _And maybe I'll find someone better than the last guy I dated…_ I sighed again, before being suddenly forced forward as Hayato hugged me around the neck and leaned his weight on me.

"Aw! Kosuke needs a hug!"

"I do _not_!" I shouted back, trying to shove him off me with a glare.

"But you keep sighing as you look longingly out the window!" He leaned over, speaking quietly in my ear. "Did you find a new catch?~"

I flushed, successfully shoving him off this time. " _No_! I already told you…" A sudden feeling of emptiness filled my chest and I sighed again, pulling a hand through my hair. "No one would want me anyway."

Hayato was right back on top of me with his arms around my neck, rubbing his face against my cheek. "Aw! Now I _know_ you need a hug."

"Hayato! Get off me!" I complained loudly, struggling to get out of his grip as some of the other students in the room chuckled at our display.

The bell rang then and Hayato jumped up cheerfully, my head still caught under his arm.

"To P.E. we go!" He shouted, dragging me away as I continued to complain.

He finally let me go when we entered the changing rooms and I stripped off my shirt to grab my jersey when I felt a sharp jab to my side.

"Ow! Hayato! I told you not to poke those!" I shouted, rubbing a bruise left over from the incident that happened a week ago.

"But they're so poke-able! How could I not cause you a little pain, hm?"

I punched him upside the head and he cradled his head in his hands as he fell into a crouch at my feet, crocodile tears streaming down his face as he looked up at me.

"Koooooosuke! That hurt!"

"So did poking my bruise!"

Another guy from our class came up then, chuckling and dropping an arm over my shoulder as I recognized him as Daisuke; the main batter for the baseball team.

"You two are funny! But hey, Saito, I didn't know you had tattoos!"

I frowned at him, brushing a hand along the tribal inking that went up the right side of my back, over my shoulder, and down my arm a bit.

"I don't make a habit of people knowing about them." I muttered quietly, rubbing the back of my foot over the Anubis tattoo on the back of my calf.

"Why not? I think they're cool! Though…" He frowned a little, stepping back and putting a hand to his chin in thought. "You don't exactly look like the type to have them."

 _And this is why I avoid people._ I mentally complained, turning around and pulling my shirt on along with my jersey and pants, before grabbing Hayato.

"Come on. Let's go."

Hayato came along, knowing that I was like that with most people until I warmed up to them and he simply smiled cheerfully the whole way to P.E.

"Alright class!" The coach called out. "Take a few laps around the track and then I'll split you up into teams. Today we're playing basketball!"

There were groans and such from the other kids in the class, but I just got up and started running. I didn't mind P.E. at all, unlike most of my other classmates, and I actually enjoyed running. Though basketball was my personal favorite. Once everyone was done running, the coach split us up and Hayato immediately threw a fist in the air beside me.

"Alright! Time to kick some butt, neh, Kosuke?"

I stretched my arm over my chest as we both walked onto the court with the rest of our team and our opponents. "I suppose." I muttered before switching arms.

We set everyone up with their positions and once the game began, I set off. The truth is, basketball was the one other thing I really enjoyed doing other than baking. I was on the team in middle school and did pretty good, and I also played street basketball when I had the chance back then too. I still did, but only occasionally, since most people who played weren't around by the time I got off work. It still shocked my classmates every time though. Because the moment we started playing, I became a totally different person almost. And my team usually won or got very close to winning.

Today was a good day and we manage to win the game before the coach called us back and we went to change before our next class. I got pats on the back and an occasional 'good job' from the passing guys, but after a while, things cooled down again and class went on as normal. I was having issues trying to figure out some things though. It was science. There was just something about adding chemicals together with math that seemed to mess me up no matter what I did. The bell rang before I could figure it out and I groaned before packing up my things and going to head out. Hayato had gotten detention for falling asleep in class, so he wouldn't be joining me. The walk wasn't bad though and I got to the bakery at a decent time, only to find that the sign still said that it was closed. My eyes widened and I charged in angrily.

"Chiharu!"

I searched the building for her, but found her nowhere to be found, making me curse before heading back to the front and switching the sign around. Chiharu, it seemed, ditched work for today and I was less than pleased. _Great. Just great. Now I've lost sales and this will definitely cut into the shop's budget because mornings are the busiest times._ I began muttering curses under my breath along with the amounts that I most definitely lost because of Chiharu, and I pulled on my apron and just tied it in the back when the chime on the door went off.

"Ah! Hello, how can I help you toda—"

"Ko-kun!"

I was tackled around the waist, nearly knocking me off balance should I have not grabbed the counter and saved both me and the little blonde who'd attacked me.

"U-Uh, hello, Honey."

He looked up wit a big grin. "I missed you, Ko-kun!"

"Me too… I guess." I said, still pretty confused as I looked to my left and saw the others smiling at my predicament. "I assume you are not here just for bread then?"

Kyoya sighed, pushing up his glasses. "You are correct. Honey-senpai wished to see you again."

I looked down at the blonde as he smiled up at me, still attached to my waist. "I can see that. Would you, um, like something to eat or drink, Honey?"

He nodded frantically and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Then you'll have to let me go. I can't write down everything you want if you're attached to my waist."

His grin managed to get even wider before he bobbed his head and released me, running around to the other side of the counter and waiting until I was ready before he began spouting off everything. The smile remained on my face as I rested my elbows on the counter, jotting down his order as he went from pie to cake to brownies and tarts; glad that he was enjoying himself so much, but also glad because this could solve my problem of my low customer count for the day. _With his never ending stomach, he'll probably be able to cover the money the shop should have gotten this morning. But…_ I glanced over at him as he pointed at another strawberry cake on display, eyes bright with excitement. _I don't think I've ever had anyone so happy over my food before. It's… nice._

"—and some strawberry milk to drink!" Honey finished as I wrote the last of his order down with a nod.

"Alrighy then. Just grab a seat with your friends and I'll bring it all over in a minute." I said, moving to grab the rolling cart, pausing and looking over my shoulder at the others. "If you guys want anything, just let me know and I'll add it."

They nodded and headed off, not really wanting anything, I suppose—though Kyoya did ask for tea and water for everyone—and I set about gathering everything onto the tray. It took a moment and, at this point, the group had begun discussing something over at their booth, when the bell chimed once more and I lifted my head out from under the counter to greet the next set of customers.

"Hello, what can I help you with today?" I asked, only to feel my heart drop into my stomach at the group of students from my school who just walked in; namely, Daisuke, his friends, and what appeared to be his girlfriend hanging off his arm.

"Oh! Kosuke, is that you?"

 _Just what I needed. A group of idiot jocks and their girlfriends walking in._ I thought, not happy but keeping my customer smile on for now. _I don't know why I got my hopes up that no one from school would come in here. It's not that far away, and even if it's someplace you wouldn't normally find… I should've known better._

"Hello, Daisuke. How can I help you?"

"Hm? You know this skinny-looking kid?" His girlfriend questioned, making me tense as his friends chuckled.

"Hm? Yeah. He's in my class. He's the one I told you guys about, remember?"

"You mean the one with that tattoos?"

"No way!" His friends laughed. "This runt?!"

Inside, I was boiling, wishing that I could take on the group of muscle heads and just beat their heads together, but I knew I couldn't. Mentally, maybe. But _physically_? Not a chance. Outside though, I was all calm and polite smiles, pulling out my notepad once more.

"Would you and your friends be ordering anything, Daisuke?" I asked, drawing their attention back to me.

"Huh? Oh, uh…" He turned to his girlfriend, who rolled her eyes.

"A strawberry tart."

"And a chocolate fudge brownie for me!" He piped up, though his other pals were still making fun.

"Dude, do you think he makes all this stuff?"

"Ask him! I bet you he does!"

"How gay!"

"I wouldn't put _that_ past him!"

I grit my teeth, but gestured over towards them with my head, speaking to Daisuke. "Are your _friends_ going to order anything?"

He glanced their way, before shaking his head. "Nah. I think they're good."

 _Of course. If they_ did _want anything, I would have to struggle not to spit on it._ I thought, telling Daisuke what he owed and taking the money. "For here or to go?"

"For here." He said, his friends picking another booth away from the group of guys who now had their eyes on me.

"Very well. I will bring your order over as soon as I help my other customers who are already here." I said. "Do you want water or drinks for your table?"

He shrugged. "Water's good."

I nodded and he went to join his friends as I turned away to finish putting sweets on Honey's cart, dropping my smile quickly and wishing I could just punch something in my anger. _Just calm down. They're blockheads. Idiot jocks who don't give a rats ass about anyone else. Who cares what they think? One day, I'll be making a living and they'll be on the streets, drunk. So just keep your cool, Kosuke. You can do it. Just until they leave._ I chanted in my mind, grabbing a pitcher of water from the back fridge and cups for both groups, snatching the tea pot on the way back out and adding that to the cart before heading over to Honey's awaiting group.

"I apologize for the wait." I said, bowing slightly and starting to put all of Honey's order on the table.

"Do you know them, Kosuke?" Haruhi asked, and I nodded.

"Yes, in a way. They are classmates of mine… Some of them, anyway. Daisuke is the lead batter of my school's baseball team."

"They're mean." Honey said, making me glance up from what I was doing and feeling something clench in my stomach at the angry look he was trying to hide behind his bangs.

"They… are not kind." I murmured, lowering my head again.

" **Then why put up with that?"** The twins asked.

"Couldn't you just…"

"…refuse to service them or something?"

"Bad for business." I replied, passing out the cups of water now. "I was taught not to turn down a customer, no matter what the reasons. Putting aside my personal feelings for the shop, is something I'm more than willing to do if it keeps it running."

"But isn't that a bit… sad?"

I set the tea in front of Kyoya and looked over at Tamaki. "Not as sad as it would be if I lost this shop… Now, you'll have to excuse me. I have other customers to serve." I replied, bowing again and turning the cart away.

Once I'd returned the cart to it's place, I brought over the cups, pitcher, and the two things Daisuke ordered and headed over to the jock's table. I set the plates down in front of him and his girlfriend, keeping my eyes focused on what I was doing and trying not to look into the sneering faces of his friends. Just as I was nearly finished though, one of the guys purposely pushed over his glass of water that I'd just filled, spilling it on the table and the floor.

"Look what you did!" He said, loudly. "Clumsy idiot!"

"My apologies." I said, even though I knew it wasn't my fault.

I pulled out a rag from my apron pocket and began cleaning up the spill, excusing myself to grab another from the kitchen and returning. As I cleaned the table though, I noticed that some had dripped off onto the booth beside the man, and went to clean it up before it could potentially ruin the upholstery, but the moment I did, the man shouted and smacked me hard across the face; knocking me back.

"What the hell, man?!" Daisuke shouted, not looking pleased about what just happened, but his friend easily covered it up.

"He touched my lap! The guy's freaking gay! I don't want that sort of crap pulled on me!"

 _Bull!_ I mentally shouted. _I didn't even touch him! I was wiping the booth!_ I tasted iron and ran my tongue along the inside of my cheek, wincing when I felt the cut there, before someone touched my arm.

"Are you okay, Ko-kun?"

I looked over to see Honey, looking worried, his other friends coming over as well and standing around me.

"I think it's about time you leave." Kyoya said, arms crossed over his chest as Tamaki pointed at the group of shocked guys dramatically.

"That's right! I will not tolerate this behavior in a wonderful shop such as this!"

" **Buzz off, losers!"** The twins countered, pulling down their eyelids and sticking out their tongues.

"Oh yeah?" One of the guys stepped up. "And who's gonna make us?"

Mori stepped forward, towering over the guys and they immediately seemed to shrink as Daisuke herded them out, sending me a glance before leaving as well. Once they were gone though, all eyes turned to me as I stood up on my own and gently placed a hand on my cheek.

"Sorry about that." I said, not having meant for something like that to happen and to ruin their meal.

"What are you saying, Kosuke?" Tamaki questioned, looking confused.

"Yeah. It's not like…"

"…you _wanted_ to get punched."

Haruhi nodded. "That's right. We were watching too. You didn't even touch that guy."

"While not serving customers may impact your business..." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. "...serving people such as that could make the image even worse."

"They're right, Ko-kun." Honey said, a hand hanging onto my apron. "You shouldn't be nice to bad people or they're going to take advantage of that."

"You'll get hurt." Mori spoke afterwards, eyeing me in what I assumed was worry.

 _They're right. I know they are._ I silently mused, sighing and lowering my hand from my face. "Yeah, okay. I'll try to be more careful next time… Sorry."

The group smiled—or in Kyoya's case, rolled his eyes—before they began fussing over me.

"You should probably put some ice on that or it's going to swell."

"I'll get it, Ko-kun! It's in the freezer, right?"

I nodded and Honey dashed off, before Mori pushed me back into a chair that the twins pulled up and Haruhi began making me some tea.

"You guys seriously don't have to do this." I muttered, accepting the ice from Honey. "I barely know you."

"But you're still really nice!" He chirped, making me let out a bitter chuckle as I shook my head; a hand holding the ice to my face.

"I'm not that nice. I just put on a smile for customers." I said, feeling tired now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

"But to be able to do that even with the worst of customers…"

"…Doesn't that just show that you're nice?"

" **We do it all the time."** The twins shrugged as I raised a brow in confusion.

"Huh?"

Tamaki quickly stepped forward, posing with a hand on his chin. "We are the Ouran high School Host Club! It is our duty to entertain woman and make them happy!"

I blinked, eyes wide and getting pale at what he was insinuating. "I-I didn't know they allowed that in… school…"

Haruhi shoved Tamaki aside, waving her hands about. "Oh no. Not like that. We just talk to them. Give them tea and snacks. Things like that."

"So… like a book club, but without the books." I said, feeling slightly better now that I knew they weren't selling their bodies for money.

"Sounds accurate." Kyoya said, looking down at a familiar folder. "Your sales are particularly down today. Only us and that other group?"

"Hey! That's my sales report!" I yelled, taking it back from him with a frown. "And yes. I know my sales are down. It's because Chiharu—the girl you guys met before—decided not to show up today, so there was no one to open the shop until I came home from school… Ah! That reminds me!"

I hurriedly got up, squeezing past the group and hurrying to the phone, starting up the list of missed calls and putting down the ice pack as I began jotting down orders. Someone was having a birthday party for their ten year old and wanted a strawberry marble cake with butter cream frosting and an edible—

"—princess and a castle on top? You've got to be kidding me." I muttered, though the hosts seemed to have heard me.

"That sounds cute!"

" **If you're not the one making it."**

"They're right. It sounds rather complicated."

"What are you going to do, Ko-kun?" Honey asked, looking up at me with worried eyes.

I pulled a hand through my hair with a sigh, picking up my ice pack and putting it back on my cheek.

"I'll have to do some research first and then see what I can come up with. What works and what doesn't… but I only have a _week_?" I turned away from the phone and leaned back up against the counter.

"You can do it, Ko-kun!" Honey reassured.

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah. How hard can it be?"

I deadpanned, looking at her and making her flinch.

"T-That bad?"

"I need a picture for reference. I have to figure out which material works best to make it. I have to find a way to stabilize it and still keep it edible. I have to make sure it doesn't cause the cake itself to sink in. It can't be too heavy, but if it's too light, it'll fall apart. Not to mention detailing it and the princess, which also has to be edible. Heck, I don't even know what kind of princess or castle they're asking for, so I'll have to call them. Western? German? Japanese? Korean? There's an endless number of things I could do with it, but I only have a week. Things like this should usually take at least two to three weeks. Not to mention I've never done this before." I listed off, feeling myself starting to frown.

"You've never done this before?!"

I shook my head. "No. The only edible creations I've made are miniature people and roses. Nothing on the scale of a whole castle."

"T-Then why can't you reference them to someone else?! If you've never done this before then—"

I cut Haruhi off with a look, making her freeze as I explained. "I will _never_ turn down a customer because I haven't done something before."

Just then, the door opened and an older woman walked in, spotting me as I put a smile on my face. _Oh great. Her again._

"Good afternoon, Miss Harada. What can I help you with today?" I asked, moving away from the group and back over to the register.

"What happened to you?" She questioned rather bluntly.

"A mishap, is all. How was the bread?"

She frowned, and I knew what was coming. "The sourdough crust was too hard and it hurt my mouth."

"I apologize, I'll have to try and make the crust softer then." I said back, jotting the note down on a notepad. "And the others?"

"The croissant was delicious, just the right texture on the inside. Nice and fluffy. As was the raisin bread, but isn't there something you can do about it? My grandkids kept picking out the raisins!"

"A… raisin bread without raisins?" I questioned, raising a brow.

"That's right! Make it taste like raisin bread, but leave out those wrinkled old grapes." She said, nodding with her arms over her chest, making me smile and shake my head.

"Of course, Miss Harada. I'll come up with something. What would you like for today though?"

"Hm… Another batch of croissants, a loaf of French bread, and some banana bread for the grandkids. And make sure the French bread crust isn't hard! And the banana bread less fattening! My grandson has already started to look like a little piglet."

"I'll see what I can do." I said, bowing and walking out to the back kitchen where I knew the French bread I made for her would be, along with all of my less fattening sweet breads. _She always comes up with something new to give me. Though I wonder… raisin-less raisin bread?_

* * *

Once Kosuke had gone into the back, Tamaki took a chance and went over to the older woman.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

She turned and smiled a bit. "Well, aren't you a handsome bunch."

Tamaki smiled in return. "Thank you, but we actually had a question for you. What do you know about Kosuke?"

"Friends of his?" She questioned, tilting her head and placing a finger to her chin. "Well, he's always been pleasant and kind, especially to his customers. If you ever want anything, he'll make it just the way you want it. Very compliant. His grandfather taught him well, though you're the first friends I've seen him with other than that one boy from his school who used to come here often. It's a shame he hasn't been around. Kosuke was always happiest when he was here. That other boy always gave me a bad feeling though." She frowned, before lightning up and sighing. "It's a shame his parents can't look past what happened."

"What do you mean?"

She went to answer, but Kosuke came out then holding a bag with what she asked for, smiling as he placed it on the counter, telling the woman how much she owed.

"And I'll do my best to come up with a raisin-less raisin bread." He smiled as she wagged her finger at him.

"You better." She teased, leaving the shop with a wink at the hosts, who were even more confused than before.

* * *

I noticed that the hosts were looking at me strangely after Miss Harada left and I sighed, assuming it was due to her more… demanding attitude.

"You shouldn't mind her. She's a regular customer of mine who likes to make things difficult."

"You don't seem to mind it." Kyoya commented.

I felt a smile tug at my lips. "Yeah, well. What can you do? I like the challenge of trying to figure out new things and the customer is always right, as the saying goes. It's all worth it at the end of the day."

"But Ko-kun, how are you going to get everything done?" Honey asked. "You have to make that castle cake too, don't you?"

His words kind of dampened my mood as reality kicked back in and I realized that Miss Harada had only added to my plate. _Aw man. I'm going to be_ extremely _busy._ I sighed, bringing the ice pack back up to my face and leaning back against the counter.

"I suppose I just have to make time." I told him. "There's different things I can do; get up earlier, sleep later, all-nighters, skip a day of school—"

"You can't do that!" Haruhi shouted, as the others agreed.

" **There's no way!"**

"Think about your health, mon ami!"

"Ko-kun! That's too much!"

"Can't you just tell the woman who just came in that you will be too busy to do what she wished right away?"

I shook my head, removing the ice pack and moving to drop it off in the kitchen freezer as the group followed me.

"You guys don't get it. This is my _life_. Baking is what I do because it makes people happy and I enjoy knowing that something I did helped someone. If I can't do that or if what I did isn't what they were looking for, then why bother? I don't mind not getting a full nights rest or missing class, because when I end up going to give that kid their birthday cake with a castle and princess on it, everything else will be meaningless other than that kid's happiness… as cheesy as that sounds." I said, shrugging as I turned around, keeping my eyes closed. "Besides, it'd mean that I was letting my grandfather down and after everything he's done for me, it wouldn't exactly be very nice to not do something for him."

When I opened my eyes, I didn't expect to see the majority of the hosts in tears, nor did I expect the sudden barrage of hugs once I'd finished.

" **That's so sad!"**

"You're so dedicated!"

"Wah, Ko-kun! You care so much!"

"T-Thank you?" I stuttered out, cheeks tinted a slight pink in my embarrassment. "But I really should get started. Especially since Miss Harada just added more to my workload."

They pulled away from me with nods and sad faces, before Honey tugged on my shirt, making me look down at his tearful eyes.

"But we can come back, right? I want to see Ko-kun's cake."

"Uh… sure, I guess you can come at the end of the week. I need to deliver it on Saturday so Friday would wor—Ah!"

Honey tackled me in a hug once more, causing me to slip and tumble to the floor; a hand gripping the side of the counter as he buried his face in my chest happily.

"Yay! I get to see Ko-kun's cake! Thanks a lot, Ko-kun!" He pulled back with a grin, one so happy that I could feel the tips of my ears heat up as a blush threatened to travel up my face.

 _Why is he so cute when he smiles?_ I felt my stomach drop at that thought, quickly shaking it off as Honey got off me and held out a hand to help me up. _Stop it, Kosuke. You know better. Keep it to yourself._ I hesitantly took his hand, not expecting him to be strong enough to pull me to my feet, but I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of strength he had once I was tugging into a standing position.

"You're… stronger than you look." I muttered, but he only chuckled with a grin before turning back to the others.

"Neh, you hear that, Takashi? We get to see Ko-kun on Friday!"

"Ah."

Kyoya then pulled out his phone as we all headed back into the main room. "We should be going then. Tamaki, we still need to come up with tomorrow's club ideas."

"Right!" Tamaki said loudly, marching towards the door. "Onwards, men!"

The twins rolled their eyes and followed him out as Honey climbed up to Mori's shoulders and turned to wave at me.

"Bye, Ko-kun!"

I waved back and once they were gone, I went into the back room and brought a hand to my mouth as my face turned a bright red. _O-Oh man. He's just so…_ I buried my face in my hands. _…cute._


	3. Chapter 3

I sighed, pulling out the keys for my apartment after a long day at the bakery. It was Thursday and the cake was nearly finished, though I hadn't the slightest clue how I managed to do it. School was the same, oddly enough. Daisuke had apologized to me on the guys' behalf, though I knew that they wouldn't apologize in the first place and I questioned what exactly made him do it. Everything else wasn't too bad though. I only got questioned about the bruise a few times and the pain lessened as the days went on, but I had received detention yesterday because I'd fallen asleep in class, which put me behind in my work. I had managed to catch up though and had completed Miss Harada's order for her return and a majority of the cake. All that was left was the dragon curled up around the castle, the princess, the castle itself, and the landscaping. _It's going to be tough, but if I pull an all-nighter tomorrow I should be okay._

I opened the door and tossed my school bag on the floor before heading into the kitchen to grab a soda and toss a sandwich together. Once I finished, I went into the living room to watch TV—something I had gotten as a gift from Hayato—but I nearly dropped my sandwich upon seeing my father sitting on my couch looking pissed.

"D-Dad?"

He glared at me, making me flinch. "You made me wait."

"I, um, didn't know you were coming." I stuttered out, setting my food on the table and sitting on the ground across from him. "Why _are_ you here?"

His frown deepened and I felt myself shrink away from him. "You make me wait and don't even offer me tea. You're a _horrible_ host and an even _worse_ son."

I swallowed, biting my tongue to keep from lashing out and made to stand. "Sorry. I'll get you tea."

"Don't bother. I don't plan on staying long."

I sat back down, disgruntled. _Why scold me if you didn't even want it in the first place?_

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at me, authority practically steaming off his figure. "I was informed that you broke a teapot in the shop not long ago."

 _He only heard about that today? That was a week ago!_ "Yes. It was an accident. A customer got a little excited and—"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" He shouted, making me flinch again as he calmed himself, pulling a hand through his black and grey speckled hair. "You are to replace that immediately and cease to allow such people into the shop in the future."

"Alright." I muttered, lying through my teeth. _I wouldn't deny anyone entry into my shop, even if they_ were _a little rowdy._

"I was also informed by your teacher about the bruise on your face, apparently thinking that I had something to do with it."

I stiffened. _This is what he was here for. That stupid teacher! I told them it was nothing! Why can't they just listen?_ "I don't know why they called you. Some guys from school just… it was an accident."

 _Lies again_.

"I don't care _what_ happened!" He yelled, furious. "It's bad enough that I have someone like you for a son, but add delinquency on top of that and calls from your school accusing me of abuse?! My whole career could be at stake because of you!"

"And how is that _my_ fault?!" I shouted back, standing and not happy in the slightest at his accusations and insults. "It's not like I _wanted_ them to hit me! I didn't _tell_ the teacher to call you! And just because I'm gay doesn't mean everything I do is bad!"

"It might as well!" He shouted, standing from his place on the couch and getting in my face. "It's because of _you_ that I'm under scrutiny! I should just fire you from the bakery altogether!"

"You can't do that!" I yelled back, fear settling in my gut. "You need the money I earn from the bakery just as much as I do! If you fire me, I won't be the only one suffering!"

He glared. "But I can survive without it longer than you. And I said _should_. You're lucky I'm not going to. _Yet_." He let out a sharp breath through his nose before heading towards the door. "I'm cutting your pay, however, in half."

"What?!"

"You're lucky you're getting away with just that, _pest_."

He shut the door behind him and I growled in frustration before picking up the closest object and hurling it at the door; the sandwich splattering on it and the plate crashing to the ground.

"That dick!" I shouted, spinning around and kicking the couch. "That self-righteous piece of crap! What the hell does he know?!"

I went into the kitchen and punched the wall going in, ignoring the pain that traveled up my hand and turning on the faucet, dunking my head under the cool water to try and quell my anger. It helped a bit, my frustration subsiding for now, and I turned the water off clutching at my head as tears started to slip down the end of my nose.

"So stupid! W-Why can't they just understand?! I never _chose_ to be this way! I just… I just want to be happy for once…"

I cried myself to sleep that night, waking up the next morning at 4am even more exhausted that I was before. I went down to the bakery as usual and started the process of baking everything and setting up the shop before Chiharu arrived and gave me a disgusted look.

"You look gross."

I frowned, pulling a bandaged hand through my messy hair. "Gee, you look great too. Everyone should look as good as you do right now."

"Really?" She smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder as I deadpanned.

"No. Not really."

She pouted and brushed past me to take her place behind the register as I spoke.

"I'm not going to school today. I need to finish that cake for the girl's birthday tomorrow. Can you do me a favor and—"

"Yeah, yeah." She waved lazily. "Work the register and don't bother you unless it's important. Got it."

I sighed, knowing that she was just saying that and would probably call me back in for something stupid and, after about six hours of her calling me to bake more things and serve customers while she answered a phone call, I wasn't surprised when she did just _one_ more.

"Cake-head!"

"What?!" I called back, face inches away from a portion of cake I was sculpting into the form of a dragon. "I already told you I was busy!"

"Your boyfriend is here!"

My head snapped up, my mind a little confused in my tired state and still trying to comprehend what she just said. _Boyfriend? Oh God… please no…_ I quickly set down the tool I was using and scrambled out of the kitchen and into the other room in a panic, heart racing as I felt fear worm it's way into my stomach. When I search for the dreaded person though, I didn't see him and I turned to Chiharu with my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as she put some croissants in a bag.

"He's outside. He wouldn't stop knocking on the glass until I agreed to call you." She stood up and handed the bag to the customer, giving me a bored look. "I won't tell your parents either, so just hurry up and see what he wants."

I looked over towards the window, only to feel extreme relief upon seeing Hayato's grinning face as he waved. I sighed and headed towards the door, but paused in the doorway and gave Chiharu a frown.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend."

"Whatever." She shrugged off, making me roll my eyes as I headed out and Hayato grabbed me in a hug.

"I missed you Kosuke!" He pulled back then, looking serious. "I was wondering what happened when you didn't show up at school! Do you have a big order to fill or something?"

I nodded, pulling a hand through my hair with a sigh. "Yeah. A little girl's birthday cake. Complete with a castle, a dragon, and a princess. All edible."

He let out a low whistle. "Woah. And how long do you have to make it?"

"A week. I have to deliver it tomorrow." I groaned, scratching at a bit of frosting on my cheek that had hardened.

"A _week_?! No wonder you were gone! And I bet that detention set you back too, right?"

I nodded, stuffing my hands in my apron pockets. "No kidding. Now what did you want? I don't want my dad showing up and finding you here with me."

"Humph. That stupid old man. If he wasn't a cop, I could take him."

I rolled my eyes. "Not with the mood he's in."

"Mood?" He then noticed my hand. "Did he do that?!"

"No. I got frustrated and punched a wall after he showed up at my place yesterday. Apparently the teacher called him and accused him of child abuse because of the bruise I got with Daisuke's friend."

"You're kidding!" Hayato said loudly, grabbing my shoulders and looking me over. "He didn't do anything, right? No extra bruises I don't know about or anything?"

I shook my head. "No. He'd be in even bigger trouble with his work if he proved it to be true. I hate to compliment him, but he controls his anger pretty well, other than the shouting."

"Oh man. I'm sorry, Ko-kun. You alright?"

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess It's just the usual crap that comes out of his mouth. How disappointing I am as a son. How being gay makes me a delinquent. That sort of thing."

"Yeah, but it still hurts, Ko-kun." Hayato said, eyes soft as he searched mine for the pain that I had tucked away. "I know you hide it well, but even I know that sooner or later you're going to fall apart. So call me next time, okay?" He smiled. "Then we can pig out on junk food and play violent video games to perk you up!"

I shook my head with a small smile. "Yeah. Alright. But seriously. You better go. I need to finish that cake and I'm sure you have plans."

He winked, tapping a finger to my nose. "You bet. _I've_ got a date."

"Oh, do you now? What poor girl has to deal with you today?" I joked, earning a whine from him.

"Koooosuke! Don't be mean!" He quickly perked up though, reminding me a bit of Tamaki. "She's so nice! It's Shijikata from the first year class! She's so pretty and shy and just plain cute!"

"It's good to know you found someone who will put up with you, Hayato." I smiled, truly glad for my friend, who smirked and looped an arm around my neck, tugging me down as he spoke quieter.

"Hey, who knows? It's a goukon, so I might find you a guy." He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, to which I flushed and shoved him off.

"N-No thanks."

"Oh?~ You already found one?" He asked, smirking devilishly.

"No!" I shouted, feeling my ears go red. "I-I just don't think I need one right now! That's all…"

He laughed. "I was just teasing, Kosuke! No need to get all defensive about it…" His smirk returned. "Unless you're _hiding_ something."

An image of a tiny, smiling blonde floated into my head, making my face heat up more.

"H-Hayato!"

He laughed some more, before remembering something. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He dug through his backpack and handed me some papers. "The homework for the classes you missed."

I sighed, relived that he'd dropped the previous subject and took the papers with a nod. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"Just save me some strawberry cheesecake, and I'll call it even."

I rolled my eyes with a smile and nodded. "Alright. Wait here and I'll grab it."

I headed back inside and pulled out a slice of strawberry cheesecake, packing it in a to-go box and earning an eye roll from Chiharu as I headed back outside and handed it over to him.

"Here you go. One strawberry cheesecake slice, on the house. Thanks, Hayato."

"No problem." He smiled, taking it and starting to head off. "But don't let your dad get to you, alright? You're hiding it pretty good, but I know that you're still bothered by it."

My smile fell slightly as I nodded, head bowed, silently glad that I had a friend like him who could see through me like that.

"Okay. Bye, Hayato."

"Bye, Kosuke."

I headed back inside then and went back into the kitchen, hearing Chiharu ask for more croissants as I walked in. Once I made them and put them in the oven, I went back to carving away at the dragon until it was just right. It took a while and once it's body was finished I cleaned it up and added fondant to cover it and begun spray painting it. I did the same with the neck, head, and tail—them being separate pieces—and put them all on a tray to dry, making sure that the supports were done so the cake wouldn't collapse under the weight when I would put the castle and dragon on it. Finished with that, I wiped away the sweat that had collected on my forehead with a cloth nearby, before moving on to spray paint the castle, which I had finished this morning and had just been waiting for the first layer of food color paint to dry before I could move on to the more detailed brush work on it, using a stencil to get the right effect for the bricks.

I was very much lost in my work for an unknown amount of time, headphones in to block out anything that could bother me as I did the more delicate work, and it wasn't until Chiharu walked in and waved a hand at me from the other side of the counter and I tugged my earplug from my ear.

"What?"

"My shift's over and those hot guys are waiting for you in the other room."

I felt a small frown tugging at my lips, but immediately felt guilty for not wanting them to be here. It wasn't personal or anything, but I was _extremely_ busy and very tired and I doubted that I would be able to put up with some of their antics, but at the same time, I was glad they came to see what I do and… a part of me was excited about seeing a certain little blonde. I blushed a bit, quickly turning away to put my things down and to keep Chiharu from spotting it.

"A-Alright. Tell them I'll be out in a minute."

I heard her leave and I sighed, turning around and leaning against the counter as I felt my energy leave me. _I just hope they can behave. I'd rather they didn't break anything or mess up the work I've already done. I already think I'll_ barely _make the deadline, I'd rather not have to remake anything… but… at least I get to see Honey again. There's just something about him that… makes me curious, I guess._ I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed that I had fallen for someone so different, not because _he_ was different, but because _I_ was different and I knew it would probably never work out. Yet here I was alone in a kitchen blushing like an idiot. Taking a deep breath, I pushed away from the counter and headed into the other room, tucking my headphones away as I went out and greeted them.

"Hey guys."

"Ko-kun!" Honey cheered, grabbing me in a hug, to which my mouth turned up in a small smile.

"Hello, Honey." I then looked up at the others who were standing by with excited or blank expressions—aka. Kyoya, Mori, and Haruhi. "You guys can hang out here or come back into the kitchen and watch me work. I just need to grab some stools from the back if you're going to watch and I ask that you don't touch anything without asking first. I'd rather not have to redo things."

Tamaki nodded eagerly and I removed myself from Honey's grip to switch the shop's sign around to 'closed' so that I wouldn't have to worry about serving customers while I was busy, before I headed to the back room and grabbed a couple of stools; balancing them on my hands as I went into the kitchen and ignoring the slight ache from my bandaged hand.

"Wow!"

"It's so cute!"

" **That's actually really good!"**

"The detail is exquisite and very precise. How long did it take?"

I blinked at Kyoya's sudden question, setting the stools down and raising my gaze to the ceiling as I thought about it. "Well, the cake itself was done after a day, but the castle I've been working on since Tuesday afternoon and the dragon I just did this morning. Everything else was research and confirming with the buyers exactly what they were looking for. I still have a lot of work to do today though."

"You look tired, Ko-kun." Honey said, looking concerned. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I looked down at him and nodded. "Yeah. I'm used to doing some crazy things like this. I actually skipped school today because I got detention for falling asleep in class yesterday and that put me behind schedule."

" **Ooh! A delinquent in the making!"** The twins teased, but I could hear my father shouting in my head.

" _It's bad enough that I have someone like you for a son, but add delinquency on top of that and calls from your school accusing me of abuse?! My whole career could be at stake because of you!"_

"Ko-kun? What happened to your hand?"

I blinked out of my daze, unclenching my hands that I had unconsciously fisted, and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry. Spaced out for a minute there. I, um… just hurt it a bit. It's fine." I looked around for a minute, seeing that I would be needing more stools and trying to avoid Honey's gaze. "I'm going to grab a few more stools, then you're welcome to sit and watch. Do any of you want tea or something to snack on?"

"I'll take some tea." Haruhi said, holding up a hand as she took a stool.

"I will as well." Kyoya replied after, grabbing another as he pushed up his glasses and the twins pulled two stools out from under the edge of the counter.

" **We want some of those brownies!"**

"And I wish for an éclair." Tamaki smiled, taking the last stool from under the counter.

I turned to Honey then. "Honey, do you want anything?"

"Hm." He put a finger to his bottom lip in thought, the action making me swallow thickly. "Just some cookies. I wanna watch you make stuff, more." He smiled and I nodded, that familiar heat returning to the tips of my ears.

"Alright. Um, Mori?" I glanced at the tall, silent wall. "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head and I raised a brow.

"You sure? If you don't like sweet things, I have green tea chiffon cake, lemon spongettes, all sorts of breads for sandwiches if you don't even want a dessert."

He was silent for a moment and I almost thought he wasn't going to say anything before he finally answered.

"The chiffon cake."

I nodded with a small smile, glad I was able to convince him to get something and not be left out. "Alright. Give me a minute and I'll do that." I pulled out my iPod then and set it on the counter next to a speaker. "If you guys want, you can put on some music with my iPod or yours. I'm open to everything except country and oldies."

" **Alright!"** The twins cheered, hurrying over to my iPod as I rolled my eyes and walked out to get more stools.

 _Let's see. Tamaki, Haruhi, Kyoya, and the twins got one, so all that's left is Mori and Honey. So two stools, a piece of green tea chiffon cake, an éclair, two cups of tea, two brownies, and some cookies. He didn't say what kind, but I'll figure it out._ I pulled out the two stools I needed and set them down as I started gathering the food they asked for and heated up the tea. I took the stools in first, setting them down as Mori took them and put them where he wanted, and then put the food on a tray and poured the tea; taking that in as well and setting it on the clean counter beside the group.

"Ko-kun, what are you going to do next?" Honey asked, grabbing one of the sugar cookies I brought him and chewing on it happily.

"Well, I finished the dragon, but I still need to do the rest of the castle, the landscape, and the princess."

"Is that a lot?" Haruhi asked, looking curious.

"For the amount of time I have left? Yeah. It only sounds like three things, but there's a lot I need to do for each of them. I have to hand paint the princess and sculpt it, paint the rest of the castle walls and do the minor details on that. They wanted the drawbridge too, so that will take a minute to figure out how to attach it. Plus, the landscaping is a pain because I need to paint it and add things like trees and bushes and such. Not to mention, make sure the supports are put in the right spots or the whole cake will collapse when I put the dragon and castle on it." I frowned slightly, a little worried about the cake collapsing, but I make the supports myself and one would think that after doing that for so long, I should be able to trust it.

 _Things can always go wrong though._

I sighed, holding my hands up in a shrug. "Ah well. I'll get it done somehow."

"Is there anything we can do?"

I scrunched up my brows, thinking about that for a moment as I muttered to myself. "Hm, the fondant needs to be molded for the trees, bushes, and princess. The drawbridge is the same. The details _I_ have to do. The supports are already made… Hm."

"It's okay if there isn't." Haruhi said, waving her hands about. "I just didn't want to be doing nothing when you have so much to get done."

I snapped my fingers. "No. There _is_ something you guys can do." I spotted Kyoya frowning and I tensed. "I-If you _want_ to, that is."

Tamaki grew excited. "I do! What is it?!"

"Well, I need to have the fondant at the right consistency to mold it. So you guys can knead it for me, though it _does_ require some strength."

"Takashi and I can do it!" Honey said, holding up his hand.

I nodded to him and turned to Haruhi and Tamaki. "If you two want, you guys can put butter cream on the cake, just try to keep it even and don't get too crazy with it."

Tamaki grinned, nodding excitedly as I got out the large cake, surprising them.

" **Woah! That's huge!"**

"I-Isn't that heavy?" Haruhi questioned, making me raise a brow as I set it down on the counter.

"I guess, but I've gotten used to heavy lifting so it's nothing to me."

"You're so strong, Ko-kun!"

I flushed a bit at the praise from Honey and nodded. "A-Ah."

He chuckled. "You sound like Takashi, Ko-kun!"

The blush deepened as I glanced away and went to grab the butter cream and the icing bags and tips. As I filled the bags, the twins spoke from over by my iPod.

"You've got a lot of rock on here."

"No kidding. Thought there's a lot of Korean stuff on here too."

" **And American."**

I shrugged, handing Haruhi one filled bag as I went to show them what to do. "I said I was open to everything, but those are my preferences. Now, all _you_ two have to do as far as icing this, is what you would do with any cake." I took the bag and squeezed it as I iced one side. "Just a smooth, even layer. And it's alright if you cut it off and start it again, because I'm going to have to use a spreading knife to even it out better. Just do what you can to not waste it. It's not as easy to make as you think."

I handed the bag over to Tamaki as Haruhi looked surprised.

"You _made_ this?"

I nodded. "I make most of the stuff by hand. The only thing I don't do is the fondant, really." I spotted Tamaki reaching a finger towards the side I'd already iced, and I quickly smacked his hand away with a glare. "Don't you _dare._ "

He looked like a kicked puppy and I lightened up a bit.

"Sorry. But I don't know where your hands have been and I don't think _you'd_ want some stranger putting their fingers in your kid's birthday cake. Rule #1 of the kitchen, always wash your hands first and Rule #4, taste testing is only done in the _making_ process, not after application. You all _have_ washed your hands, right?"

They nodded, though the twins looked over at me confused.

" **What happened to Rule 2 and 3?"**

I sighed. "Rule #2 is pay attention to what you're doing and Rule #3 is know what's going on around you."

Haruhi frowned. "Don't those two contradict each other? How are you supposed to watch what you're doing _and_ watch what's going on around you?"

"It's actually not that hard." I said, going to grab the fondant and food coloring. "An example would explain it better… Think, you're making a cake and it's in the oven. You move on to making the frosting. You need to pay attention to what you're doing with the frosting or you could mix in the wrong thing, but you also need to pay attention to your surroundings to know when the cake's done or it will burn. Get it?"

"I guess that makes sense." She said as I poured some green food coloring onto the fondant and kneaded it enough to get the mixing of the colors started, feeling my hand ache as I did so, but I ignored it.

It took a moment to get the right color, but I soon got it and held a hand out for Honey and Mori to start. Funny thing was, they saw me doing it and figured it was easy. So they didn't expect the resistance they got from the fondant.

"Woah! This is harder than it looks!" Honey commented as I cleaned my hands from the food coloring in the sink and bandaged my hand again, not catching the glance of it that Honey got.

"You bet. It's the same as the heaviness of the cake though. I've gotten used to it."

"I _do_ recall you saying you haven't done this before." Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. "So how is it that you are used to it?"

"I _haven't_ done something like this before. I've never made something big like a castle and put it on a cake this large. The closest thing I've done to this was the roses and an occasional fondant person. Well, that and the landscaping stuff, though most of the time it's for anniversary cakes and such."

"That's it?!" Haruhi looked over at the finished dragon I was putting in the fridge in shock. "But you just—that dragon—It's amazing!"

I smiled over at her. "Trial and error." I replied. "I've redone the dragon about… three times? And the castle twice before I got them right."

"What?!" Tamaki was shocked now. "But I don't see that anywhere!"

I blinked, pointing over my shoulder. "What are you talking about? You probably saw it on the way in."

" **What?!"** A majority of the hosts shouted.

I chuckled a bit. "Yeah, guys. The strawberry cake out there was the first dragon attempt and the chocolate fudge cake was the second castle attempt. There were a few more, but it looks like someone bought it. Anyway, if you guys are settled, then I'm going to go ahead and get back to work, okay?"

They nodded as the twins finally settled on a song and I picked back up what I had been working with earlier, going back to spray painting the castle walls. Once I'd finished with that, I checked up on the others and went to do the more detailed work on the castle with a brush. It wasn't long after that, that Haruhi got my attention.

"Um, Kosuke? We're done."

I glanced up and set my brush down before heading over to the cake and grabbing a spreading knife, using it to fix some areas that didn't have a thick enough covering and those that had too much. They didn't do too bad though and I had the feeling that Haruhi played a big part in that. _She seems to be one of the more level-headed hosts. Huh, when did I figure out she was a girl?_ I shook myself out of the thought.

"Alright. Thanks you two." I said, picking the cake back up and returning it to the fridge, adjusting it's temperature accordingly before turning to Honey and Mori. "How are you two doing?"

"I'm having fun, Ko-kun!" Honey smiled, kneading away.

I smiled a bit in return, stopping them for a moment and checking the consistency of the fondant. "You did good. It's pretty much done."

"What are you going to do with it, Ko-kun?" He asked as I kneaded it just a bit more.

"I'm going to use it to cover the cake and mold some trees and bushes, but I need to make some brown fondant too. Will you two be willing to knead that as well?"

He nodded happily as the twins came over.

" **We're bored, so we'll help too."**

"That's fine." I said, moving the green fondant over to allow me to put down the other fondant, grabbing the brown food coloring and mixing it for them briefly; washing my hands again afterwards and once again replacing my bandage. "Alright. I started it for you, but have fun. I'm going to finish the minor detailing on the castle and then start on the trees and bushes."

I did just that, finishing the small painted details and left that to dry before making a multitude of bushes and trees. The sun had already set at this point, but the hosts seemed to be enjoying themselves for the most part—Kyoya was ignoring the group on his laptop though. By the time I finished the trees and landscaping, I could feel my body growing weary, but I pushed through it and took the finished fondant from Honey and Mori to make the tree trunks and drawbridge, hoping that the idea I'd come up with just now would work when I attached it. The noise from the hosts was sort of drifting into the background for me the later it got and I worked in a daze putting the trees together, the ache from my hand probably being one of the only things keeping me awake at this point.

I rubbed my eye with the back of my hand, setting the last finished tree down and moved over to pull the cake back out of the fridge. I then took the supports and used some measuring tape to measure the distance between the castle walls and the dragon's length so that I knew where to put them to keep everything supported. I could hardly feel the hosts' eyes on me anymore and I probably wouldn't have known if they left with the state I was in. Once the supports were in, I carefully picked up the castle and slowly settled it down on the cake, being extremely careful not to warp the cake below it or the castle itself. Once it was down though, I let out a breath of relief as the cake held up, before grabbing the dragon parts and putting them around the castle carefully as well. After that, I took my time mixing a lighter green food coloring into the fondant from before, and then started flattening it and carefully moving it to cover the top of the cake around the castle and dragon; cutting it where it was necessary.

Adding the trees to that and spray painting a few more green shades to add texture to the 'grass', I finished the cake and took the princess I had made and putting her at the top of the castle's walls, securing her with frosting and adding the drawbridge; two strings of butter cream icing seemingly attaching it to the castle. _I'm finished…_ I took a step back, slumping a bit as I let out a long breath that I didn't know I had been holding. _I'm finally finished._

"Wow, Ko-kun! That looks great!" Honey cheered loudly, making me jump as I had forgotten that the hosts were even here.

The twins came up with a yawn, covering their mouths and giving me two thumbs up. **"Looks good."**

"It is a masterpiece!" Tamaki said loudly, Haruhi wearily rubbing her eyes and coming over to look at it too.

"It does look really nice. That girl is definitely going to be happy." She smiled.

Kyoya and Mori said nothing, but I wasn't quite done yet and I hesitantly looked over at the hosts in worry.

"Thanks guys, but… um… could you possibly do me a favor?"

"You have granted us this great experience!" Tamaki said, smiling. "What is it that you need?"

I glanced over at the cake and back at them. "I, um, don't think I'll be able to carry this by myself to the, um, birthday party. So do you think you could possibly…"

"Of course we'll help, Ko-kun!" Honey grinned as Tamaki nodded and the twins shrugged.

I smiled slightly, extremely relieved. "Okay. Thank you. I have a van to deliver it there, but getting it in and out without messing it up was going to be a problem if I did it by myself." I then caught sight of the clock in the kitchen and paled, turning to the group and bowing deeply since it was now about 1:30 in the morning. "I'm so sorry! I kept you guys here so late! I didn't mean to! I just got so absorbed in my work a-and—"

"It's okay, Ko-kun!" Honey said, making me hesitantly look up. "We had fun!"

The others agreed, easing my worry, but I still felt really guilty about it and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Still, I feel bad for making you guys waste a Friday night watching me work… Do you…um…" Ifelt my face heat up a bit as I awkwardly looked away. "Do you want to come to my place? I-I can, um, make some food—normal food anyway—but you don't have to!" I said, waving my hands about. "I-I just figured that—since you're going to be coming to help me tomorrow anyway—I, um…"

Honey chuckled, making my face heat up more as I buried my face in my hands.

"S-Sorry. I'm tired."

"But Ko-kun, that was cute!"

As if my face couldn't get any redder, it decided to prove me wrong and I was forced to turn around to keep them from seeing it; a hand still covering my face.

"N-N-No, it wasn't! I-It's embarrassing…"

I stumbled forward when Honey grabbed my waist from behind, looking up at me with a big grin on his face like he was proud of something.

"But I think it's cute, Ko-kun. You're cute!"

That was the killer blow, steam practically coming out of my ears with how red my face was. _C-C-Cute?! H-He said I was cute! But does that mean—No, he doesn't know I'm gay. He's probably doing it… because it's funny…_ My mind continued down that depressing line of thought, memories of past experiences flashing through my head. People laughing at me, pushing me down, parents shouting obscenities at me, _him_. I pulled Honey off me, glancing away and trying to distract myself, not seeing his sad expression.

"Um, okay. So, shall we go?"

Tamaki cheered and the twins smirked devilishly at one another—plotting something, I'm sure—as we all started cleaning up and then filing out of the shop. I gestured off to the right, leading them in the correct direction.

"It's over this way. It won't take more than five or ten minutes to get there."

They started chitchatting and occasionally asked me questions like if we could watch a movie or where everyone was going to sleep or the occasional question about my work. I answered what I could but the further we walked, I could feel my body slowly giving in to the sleep that wanted to take me over. I slowed down and stumbled a bit sometimes, but we soon reached my apartment and I opened the door, took off my shoes, and let everyone in.

"You're free to do what you want. I'll grab blankets and pillows to scatter about the living room for you guys and then I'll start on some food. Are you guys okay with curry rice?"

They nodded and I went to grab all my extra bedding from the closet, bringing it back and letting them sort through it for what they wanted as the twins and Tamaki argued about what movie to watch and I went into the kitchen. I was exhausted, rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hand, but I knew that I had to at least make them dinner to apologize for keeping them out so late. I got the rice started and pulled out a pot to make the curry, body practically moving on it's own out of habit, and as the curry warmed up, I could feel myself drifting off; arms folded over my chest as I leaned up against the counter, head drooping only to snap back up again.

I shook my head, smacking my own cheeks to try and wake me up a bit, but I only succeeded to make my cheeks sore and my hand ache. I massaged my injured hand, wincing a little when I touched too hard on a sore spot. _Stupid father. If he's so disappointed with me, I don't know why he just doesn't disown me like a normal parent would. Oh wait, I_ do _know. He's too busy milking me for all I'm worth._ I frowned, shaking my head and moving over to stir the curry. The movement kept me awake, but once I stopped, I was back to nodding off.

"Ko-kun?"

I jumped, startled and turned to spot Honey walking in, holding a stuffed rabbit that I hadn't noticed before.

"Are you okay? If you're sleepy, you can rest."

I shook my head with a small smile. "No, I'm okay, Honey. I can at least finish making you guys some food. It's nearly done anyway."

I waved my hand over towards the pot, but misjudged the distance and whacked my injured hand on the side of it with a yelp.

"Ah! Are you okay, Ko-kun?" Honey hurried over as I cradled my hand to my chest and tried to wave him off.

"N-No! I'm alright! It's fine! Really!" I said, backing up only to run into the counter as Honey stood right in front of me and gave me a thoughtful frown.

"Ko-kun, why do you hide it?"

"I-I-I, um…" I stuttered, having not expected that question and not really having an answer for it either.

He reached up and I flinched back, not sure what he was going to do and with my past experiences, I was a little worried. All he did though, was gently pull my hand away from my chest and start removing the dirty bandages on it, revealing the dark purple bruise covering my knuckles. I turned away, face red in embarrassment as he held my hand gently in his own.

"I-I just… don't want to be a bother to anyone." I finally admitted.

Honey looked up. "But Ko-kun, you're not bothering anyone by telling them it hurts or that you need help."

 _Yes, I am. All I ever do is bother people and get in their way. My whole life is full of people telling me that I'm a nuisance._ I swallowed thickly, before a peculiar scent came to my nose and I remembered what I had been doing before being caught by Honey.

"Ah! The food!" I hurriedly pulled my hand out of Honey's rushing over to the pot and stirring the curry again, glad that I hadn't burned it in my negligence and I turned off the heat before rushing around the kitchen grabbing plates for all the hosts, missing Honey's saddened face... again. Once there was food on everyone's plates, I started bringing them all into the living room where they had finally decided on a movie, and handed them out to everyone.

"Ah! Commoner's curry!" Tamaki grinned, scooping some into his mouth, overjoyed. "It's so good! A delicacy to the common man!"

I raised a brow at what he was saying, not knowing if I should be offended, but decided that this was just how Tamaki was and I grabbed drinks from the kitchen, setting them out on the table for the guys to grab what they wanted instead of me having to serve them. I then sat down and ate my own food, before watching the movie with the others. Once I'd finished eating however, that drowsy feeling came over me again. With warm food in my stomach and a comfy armchair, it wasn't a surprise that I drifted off to sleep before everyone else.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kosuke! You need to get up now!"

I groaned, lifting my hand to rub the sleep from my eyes and feeling my muscles ache in protest as I unfolded myself from the cramped position I had fallen asleep in, curled up on an armchair. Tamaki stood nearby, being scolded by the twins for some reason, and I got up and stretched, looking around to try and gather my bearings; still half asleep. _So…right, the hosts are here to help with transport. I need to make some breakfast and make sure I have the address before…_ I sighed, feeling my spine crack as I stretched my arms over my head, and then headed into the kitchen with a yawn as I began whipping up something for the group to eat. I was still barely functioning and started up the coffee maker nearby, in the hopes that that would help me wake up a little, when I heard a commotion in the living room.

"Ah! H-He's awake!"

" **Look what you did, Tono!"**

"He's going to kill us!"

Now, I can deal with mornings for the most part. I'm not thrilled about getting up, but getting up early to prepare the food comes with being a baker, so I've gotten used to it. That's only the case though, if I've had enough sleep the night before. So with me running on empty after staying up late the past few nights, _plus_ an all-nighter, I was _not_ in the mood to deal with the hosts being _this_ crazy _this_ early. Grumbling under my breath, I drug myself out of the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to the living room with a glare at the three stooges hiding behind my armchair, though Haruhi seemed to have been dragged along into whatever they were doing too.

"What are you idiots doing?" I complained, watching as they flinched back, though Tamaki was pointing a the couch.

"H-H-He's awaking! Demon number one is awaking! Run, Kosuke! He'll murder you!"

I walked further in and saw that he was point at Honey, who was slowly starting to wake up. I furrowed my brows, before looking back at them.

"What are you talking about?"

"Honey-senpai has AB blood type!" One twin shouted, Kaoru—was my guess.

"He's got low blood pressure!" The other said soon after.

" **He's** _ **super**_ **cranky when you wake him up!"**

I sighed, walking around to the other side of the couch as Honey slowly sat up and glared over at the trio behind the armchair, making them all cower. I rolled my eyes at this and knelt beside Honey, touching his arm to grab his attention. Now, I agree that his glare was slightly frightening, but I was still so out of it, that I hardly cared. I tended to be more than a little indifferent after no sleep. More than usual, anyway.

"Honey-kun, sorry to wake you, but I'm making breakfast and I want to know how many pancakes you wanted."

His glare softened entirely and he rubbed his eyes cutely as he let out a small groan.

"Fifteen." He said, making me nod and stand back up, heading back to the kitchen as Mori took over in getting him out of his 'demon' phase.

The number he gave me didn't phase me in the slightest, nor did the shocked ramblings from the trio about how I 'tamed the beast' without dying in the process. I was simply too tired to care and quickly poured myself some coffee to wake me up, before starting on the pancakes. After two cups of coffee and the pancakes were finished, I still wasn't very awake, but forced myself to keep going because it wouldn't be long before we'd have to leave and deliver the cake. Honey was greatly pleased by the pile of food he was given, lathering it in syrup as the others dug in also, compliments being tossed around about the texture and such, to which I nodded silently and just ate my own breakfast.

"Ko-kun?"

I glanced up at Honey as he tilted his head and grinned.

"Thanks for making us breakfast! It's super good!"

I felt my face begin to heat up and quickly ducked my head. "Welcome…"

He chuckled, making me further embarrassed, before I heard my house phone go off, making me quickly get up and hurry to it.

"Hello?" I said, expecting it to be Hayato or even Chiharu complaining about something since she was to watch the shop today until I could deliver the cake, but instead it was one of the people I didn't want to hear from in the slightest. My mother.

"Kosuke, your father told me that you broke something in the shop?"

I frowned. "Yeah, a teapot. It's no big deal, I already replaced it."

"You shouldn't be so clumsy with things like that. If you know it's fragile, why bother messing around with it? You should know better." She scolded, making my frustration increase.

 _She acts like I was throwing it in the air or something!_ "Yes, mother." I said as calmly as I could, keeping my anger to myself for now.

"You shouldn't be roughhousing either! You know how that would effect our jobs! Especially your father's!"

"Yes, I kn—"

"If you're going to be hanging out with that sort of crowd, you better expect some consequences!" She cut me off.

"Dad already—"

"Only receiving half-pay is lenient. You better thank your father later."

"Yes, mother." I grit out between clenched teeth.

"I'll be dropping by the shop when I get a break from work and I better not see any of your… _boyfriends_ around." She spat, making my hands clench into fists at my sides. "Especially that _Hayato—_ "

"Don't you _dare_ talk about him." I growled. "I don't care _what_ you say about me, but if you say _anything_ about him, I'll—"

"You'll what?" She snapped back. "Quit the bakery? That's about the only thing you could do, and we _both_ know you wouldn't even think about doing that, so you better watch your tone with me, _Kosuke_."

I ground my teeth together, working my jaw back and forth unable to say anything against her because she was right. I had no power over her or what she says about my friends. They could get me to do just about anything by threatening my place at the bakery, so I had no choice but to stand down and bite back any insults that rested on the tip of my tongue.

"Now, I hope you'll remember to give me a little respect the next time we speak. I need to go now. Good bye."

She hung up and I very nearly snapped the phone in my hand in half, before I slammed it back onto the receiver. Slamming my fist into the table, I grit my teeth against the pain that I had forgotten about, pressing a hand to my face as I clenched my eyes shut and a headache began to form behind my eyes.

A hand tugged on the end of my shirt. "Ko-kun?"

"Don't touch me!" I shouted, spinning around and smacking the hand off me, before realizing that it was Honey; who was now looking at me with wide, frightened eyes.

I felt my anger dissipate into guilt and regret, making me turn my head away and push past him, pausing just long enough to send an apology over my shoulder.

"S-Sorry…"

I went into my bedroom, grabbing a change of clothes—seeing as I was still in the ones from yesterday—and jumped into the shower, taking that time to mentally scold myself for what I had just done.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm so stupid!" I grumbled under the spray, pounding my forehead into the wall, stopping only to lightly frown as the guilt ate away at my gut. "Why can't I just keep everything under control? Honey didn't deserve that. I-If I had just… If I had just kept it together and not let her get to me then…"

 _Then what?_ My mind questioned. _Then you_ wouldn't _have defended Hayato?_

"No, I would've, it's just…"

 _Oh, then you would've just let her walk all over you. She does it already, right? What's a little more bad treatment? What's a few more threats?_

"Shut up." I clenched my eyes shut, pressing my forehead against the tiled wall. "Just shut up."

I stayed that way in the shower for a moment longer, before deciding that I'd best get out before the other hosts start wondering where I went. As I came out and changed though, that guilty feeling picked up again and I sighed. _What if Honey told them? Or they saw? They… They probably hate me… I'll be lucky if they still want to help me with the cake…_ I took a deep breath, holding it for a few moments before letting it out slowly, shoving all my previous emotions away and heading back out into the living room; expecting to find it deserted after what happened, but I was pleasantly surprised.

"Kosuke, where'd you go?!" Tamaki shouted, rushing over.

"Yeah, we were worried…"

"…when you just disappeared like that." The twins replied, hanging off one another.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Guys, he just went to shower."

" **Oh yeah? How would you know?"**

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "His hair is wet, morons."

The twins looked over at me and then shrugged. **"We knew that."**

I glanced over at Honey, but he was hiding his face up on Mori's shoulders and I felt my heart sink a bit, before Haruhi waved a hand in front of my face.

"Hey, you okay there?"

I nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, sorry. Spaced out a little." I then glanced at the clock. "We should probably go now. It's best to get there a little early should something happen to the cake on the ride over."

The group quickly got excited, hurrying out the door as I grabbed the keys for the van and the address of the place I was supposed to deliver the cake. Outside though, was a limo and the hosts all piled into that as I blinked at it for a second, before shaking my head.

"I'll see you guys at the bakery."

"Wait!"

I stopped and turned, looking over at Tamaki as he pointed at me in shock.

"You can _drive_?!"

I slowly nodded. "Yeeeeaaah. How else would I deliver the cakes?"

His mouth dropped open in shock before I turned back and headed towards the moving van I was going to be using and heading down towards the bakery, one thought still swimming through my head. _How am I going to apologize to Honey?_

* * *

I was plagued by this thought the whole way to the client's house, but once there, I quickly shoved the thought aside as the hosts scrambled out of their limo and stood at attention (a few with their hands in a salute) by my van once I'd parked it. I had them wait as I went to speak to the client, making sure he had a space already prepared for the large cake, before I went back to them and pulled a hand through my hair.

"Alright guys, you have to be very careful and do _exactly_ as I say or the cake will collapse, got it?"

" **Yes, boss!"** The twins and Tamaki rang out and I pinched the bridge of my nose with a sigh, before shaking off their antics and barking out orders.

"Okay, Mori? Could you and Tamaki take this end, and the twins and I will get the other."

He got into position and pulled the large tray towards him as I climbed into the van and pushed it carefully.

"Alright, stop... _there_."

He stopped, being careful not to tip the tray as it hung more than half-way out of the van, and I climbed out, directing the twins to the side across from me, before we pulled the entire cake out and we brought it through my client's yard and towards a table in his backyard. Thankfully, we managed to get the cake to the table in one piece and I checked it over for any damage, only letting out a sigh of relief once I saw that it was perfectly alright and there had been no warping or anything.

"That should do it then." I announced to the hosts with a slight smile, avoiding Honey's gaze for now. "Thanks a ton for your help. You guys can head home though, if you want. I just need to stick around a little bit to make sure my client is satisfied and then I'll probably head back to the bakery." I winced, voice getting a little softer. "I have no doubt that Chiharu ran out of things to sell... if she's even there at all."

Tamaki gave me a worried look. "But mon ami, shouldn't you be resting after working so hard on this cake?"

I shook my head, spotting the client heading my way. "Can't. Someone has to work the shop and I'm the only one who can. Sorry, you'll have to excuse me."

I walked away from the group, digging through my pockets as I pulled out a notepad with my hours and list of things I'd had to buy for the cake along with a calculator to do the math for the price of said cake. I gave the hosts a brief glance out of the corner of my eye as they piled into their limo once more, feeling guilt well up in my stomach as I hadn't apologized to Honey before he left. _I-I'll just... have to apologize next time..._ I turned my head away and forced a pleasant smile on my face for my client. _If there is a next time._

* * *

I grimaced as I looked at the set of tests I'd received back with my midterm grades written in bright red at the top of each one.

"My parents are going to _kill_ me." I muttered under my breath, before my papers were snatched out of my hand. "Hey!"

"Wow! Dude, you did great!" Hayato said, gaping at me in shock. "How did you get 90s in all subjects with all the crap you had to do lately?!"

I frowned and snatched my papers back from him. "First off, I _didn't_ get 90 in every subject." I pulled out one paper in particular and shoved it towards him. "I got 7 _6_ in science thanks to freakin' chemistry. Anything lower than 85 and my parents go crazy! They're going to duct my pay for this, Hayato!"

"There's no way they'll do that!" He argued, pulling up a chair beside me and sitting in it backwards. "I mean, how could you get a grade like that when you've done, what, four cakes like that castle cake? Plus, working the shop _and_ studying? Have they _seen_ the bags under your eyes? I'm still shocked you haven't collapsed yet, man! You're practically running yourself into the ground!"

I groaned, dropping my forehead onto my desk. "Ugh, I _know_ , but they could care less. They're the reason I have to boost my grades in the first place, so I can't just slack off."

Hayato sighed, his chin resting on his arms crossed in front of him on the back of the chair. "You can't keep working like this. Remember last year?"

"Don't remind me."

Last year, I had done something similar to what I was doing now, and actually ended up collapsing the first day of winter break with a fever of 104 and couldn't get out of bed until the break was over. And even then, I only had enough strength to work at the bakery for an hour after school. My ex had been around then though, making things a little easier by helping in the shop after sneaking in through the back when Chiharu wasn't looking. This year though, I was on my own.

"Have you come up with anything for Christmas yet?" Hayato questioned, curious.

"No. I was thinking about trying a new sugar cookie recipe I found while searching through my grandfather's things the other day, but I'll need something more than just that."

"Are you doing the gingerbread this year? I know you were thinking about doing a mini workshop last year before you went and nearly killed yourself with a fever."

I sighed, slumping down in my seat to the point that the back of my head rested on the back of the chair. "I don't know. I'd have to start advertising now to do that and it's kind of hard to do that when I'm stuck working the shop most of the time. I might be able to get some of the regulars interested, but if I don't get some new clientele then I might end up loosing more money than gaining."

"Right. I forgot you have to buy ingredients and stuff. It'd all go to waste if only a few people showed up."

"Not only that, but I'd have to spend a portion of my work time teaching the few people I _do_ get, and that will be time that I could be using to sell things. If I did that and only one or two people showed up, I might actually go into the red this year."

I dragged a hand down my face as another thought came to mind. _And I still haven't made up with Honey yet, and it's been nearly three weeks since the hosts came by the shop._ Hayato grabbed my hand then and pulled me up out of the chair, snatching my bag and dragging me out the door.

"Come on. We need some cheering up."

"Hayato!" I argued as he pulled me down the hall and out of the school. "I have to go to work!"

"She can deal with it for another hour!" He complained. "When was the last time _you_ got a break, huh?"

"Did you _miss_ when I said I might end up getting into the red this year?! I _have_ to work!"

"Then do it after!" He said, stopping us and turning me to face him with his hands on my shoulders. "One hour. That's all I'm asking."  
 _God, and he's giving me that look. He_ knows _I can't say no to that look._ I sighed, annoyed, but gave in.

"Fine. One hour. That's it. Now give me back my bag so I can call Chiharu and let her know I'll be late."

"Whoo!" He cheered, tossing me my bag as he ran off ahead a bit. "Come on then, you workaholic! Let's go!"

"Wait up, you moron!" I called out after him, running behind him as I pulled out my phone and gave Chiharu a heads up, unable to help the small smile that flitted across my face; and missing the sight of a black limo hiding just out of view around the corner behind me.

* * *

 _Alright. All I have to do is make this shot and I'll have beaten Hayato at his own game._ I thought as I dribbled the basketball in front of me, eyes watching for any hint of movement from Hayato. He'd decided that playing some one-on-one basketball would help me de-stress a bit and I had to say, it was helping. We'd already stripped ourselves of our school jackets and our ties had since been loosened. Even in the cold weather, we'd managed to work up enough of a sweat that we'd rolled up the sleeves of our shirts to our elbows, breaths fogging up the air in front of us. Suddenly, Hayato made to snatch the ball from me, but I managed to slip out of the way and had my back to him as I twisted and tried to get closer to the basket. Hayato was a great guard though, always had been, and I was having a bit of trouble.

 _Okay then. Let's try this._ I swung to my right, making as though I was going to shoot and Hayato followed, but I twisted my ankle at the last minute; changing direction to the left before jumping back away from Hayato's long arm and shooting. The ball bounced off the edge of the ring and I panted, before watching it slip into the hoop and letting out a slight chuckle at my luck. Hayato too, laughed, pulling a hand through his hair.

"Oh man. That was a pretty awesome shot. You totally beat me with that."

"Heh, sorry. But you're the one who challenged me to a one-on-one game. You have to work on your offense."

He chuckled again, picking up the ball and tossing it to me as I caught it. "Why work on offense when my defense is nearly unbeatable?"

I scoffed, tucking the ball under my arm as I went over to the bench where my jacket lay. "Unbeatable? Is that why I beat you?"

Hayato brought a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Oh, you wound me so, Kosuke!"

I smiled a little, just as there were loud shouts that startled me.

"Wow! Did you see that, Takashi?!"

"Ah."

" **Never knew he was good at basketball."**

"He was on the team in middle school, according to my sources."

"That was pretty good."

"My darling son! That was amazing!"

I turned with wide eyes, spotting the hosts who had all apparently seen the game I had with Hayato.

"Wha—How—Have you guys been following me?!"

They ignored my questions and continued to talk about what they'd seen me doing, and Hayato leaned over towards me as I stared at the group in disbelief.

"I'm guessing you know them?"

"Y-Yeah, unfortunately." I grumbled, dragging a hand down my face. "They're customers at the shop. Friends... I suppose."

Hayato suddenly spun me around and began shaking my shoulders. "You made other friends and didn't tell me about it?! Are you replacing me?!"

"I-I-I'm not replacing you, Hayato! I-I was busy!" I shouted over him as he shook me, before I managed to get out of his grip.

He smiled then, acting as though he'd never started shaking me or anything as he turned me back around and draped an arm over my shoulders with a wave at the hosts; who'd stopped to look at us in confusion.

"Hello! I'm Hayato Nakamura! Kosuke's best friend and right hand man! Nice ta meet'cha!"

Tamaki stepped forward and began introductions of the group, but I sighed and went about putting on my jacket and checking my phone for the time. All the color fell from my face as I caught sight of what time it was, as well as the angry messages I'd received from Chiharu for being over an hour late. Cursing under my breath, I scrambled to get my things together and called out to Hayato and the hosts; who happened to be getting along well.

"Hayato! I'm sorry, but I've _really_ got to go. I'm over an hour late and Chiharu's pissed! I'll see you tomorrow at school, yeah?"

He scrambled over too, also looking panicked. "Oh man. I'm so sorry, Kosuke! I lost track of time. I'll head with you there. Buy a cake to make it up to you."

"Alright, but we have to hurry!"

I tossed him his things and he caught them as Tamaki headed over.

"We will give you a ride, Kosuke."

I waved a hand about, in a rush. "Sure, that's fine. Hurry though. Chiharu was making it sound like she was about ready to call my parents."

"Oh man. That's not good." Hayato grumbled and as the host scrambled to get into the limo with us, Haruhi spoke up.

"Why is it bad for her to call your parents?"

I winced, mentally scolding myself for bringing it up. "Long story short, they don't like me."

The subject was quickly dropped as Hayato talked to the group about my baking, and as soon as we pulled up to the bakery, I bolted from the car and hurried inside.

"Chiharu, I'm so sorry I'm late! I lost track of time and I—"

My words died in my throat as I caught sight of the older woman Chiharu was serving at a table nearby with a smile. The second the woman's eyes made contact with mine, I felt every relaxed fiber in my body tighten like a coil, ready to flee the moment Hayato and the others walked in laughing cheerfully.

"Right? So then I said..." Hayato's voice drifted off as he too, caught sight of her and a curse flew out of his mouth before he could stop it. " _Shit_."

Because the woman sitting there, almost regally, was my mother. And said mother did not look pleased. _This was a bad day to be late..._


	5. Chapter 5

"M-Mother. You, uh, didn't tell me you were coming." I managed to stutter out in a vain attempt to keep her looking at me as Hayato tried to herd the hosts out the door.

"I told you I was coming _weeks_ ago." She said haughtily, setting her cup of tea down as her eyes narrowed at the noisy group by the door. "Though it seems I should have come by sooner. Chiharu, you may leave."

"Yes, ma'am." Chiharu said, moving past me and bumping roughly into my shoulder as she went to leave; tossing her apron onto the front counter.

I quickly glanced around, slightly worried, because there was no one here other than the hosts, Hayato, and my mother. This meant she could lay into me without having to worry about her _image_. Arguments with my mother never turned out well, but even worse when there was no one around to witness it. As subtly as I could, I tried to get the reluctant hosts to leave, but it's hard to be subtle about it when said people are determined to make things difficult.

"But we want to meet Kosuke's mom."

"No, guys. Believe me. You really don't." Hayato said, struggling to convince them otherwise.

Knowing that things weren't going to get much better, I decided that I had no choice but to drop my subtlety.

"Guys."

Things grew quiet behind me and I turned my head slightly; not enough to actually look at them, but enough to get the point across.

"Please. I think it's best if you go."

Surprisingly enough, Honey was the one to step forward. "But Ko-kun..."

I turned away. "Go."

I heard them leaving, the chime above the door signaling their retreat, and I clenched my hands at my sides as they shook; frustration, guilt, anger, sadness, and a multitude of other emotions fluttering through me. I took a deep breath though, holding it for a second before letting it out, and stared back solidly as she got up and faced me with a firm scowl on her face.

"Well? Don't you have something to say to me?" She snapped and it took everything in my power not to just snap right back.

Instead, I bowed deeply in apology. "I'm very sorry, mother, for not being here on time to welcome you."

I straightened up as she huffed, preparing her rant.

"I can't believe you. Here we are, allowing you to run this shop out of the kindness of our hearts, and you have the gall to be late to serve your own mother? Never mind the other customers."

I didn't bother trying to explain or apologize again, having gotten used to this routine after numerous scoldings before. It was always just better to let her go once she got started. I could deal with this much verbal abuse, as long as she didn't stray into something more personal.

"I mean, honestly! You do not have the time to be goofing around with your little boyfriend—"

"He's not my boyfriend." I interrupted, knowing it was a mistake to do so, but not being able to keep my mouth shut.

She scoffed, stirring the bubble of anger floating in my stomach as she went on. "He's not, is he? Well then, you must be whoring yourself off to those other boys then, right?"

My eyes widened at that, having never expected her to think that way of the hosts or myself.

"They have nothing to do with this!" I argued, voice raised, though not quite yelling yet.

"And you expect me to believe that?" She said with a mocking laugh. "That my _homosexual_ _**disgrace**_ of a son would just be casually walking around with a large group of boys who come from money?"

"They're customers! I-I just bumped into them on the way here and they offered me a ride! Leave them out of this!" I said, not wanting the hosts to get dragged into this any more than they already were. "I was just playing basketball with Hayato to get rid of some stress and lost track of time! I won't do it again!"

She raised a brow, staring at me with a snarl on her face. "Oh, I'll make sure of that."

I could feel the color drain from my face. "W-What?"

She pulled out her phone and began texting someone as she spoke. "I have a friend in a cab company who owes me a favor. Until winter break begins, he will be picking you up directly from school and taking you here. There will be no after school activities and once you are here, you will be in charge of all the work. Chiharu will cover for you while you're at school, but once you arrive, she will be done for the day."

"What?! You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will." She said, snapping her phone closed and looking down her nose at me as I gaped in shock. "Chiharu will be paid from my own pocket to keep an eye on you after she gets off and will report to me should you start getting _friendly_ with the customers again. Now that you understand the consequences of your actions, perhaps next time, you will do well to do your job seriously and not bring your problem into a public area."

She started to leave, but I wouldn't let her. _Couldn't_ let her.

"You can't do this!" I said, grabbing the sleeve of her coat and stopping her. "I-I'm supposed to be coming up with new ideas for winter sales and if I'm working the whole time then the shop will go into red this year! I need all the help I can get!"

"You should've thought about that before you were late and dragged your little group of boyfriends into this store." She snapped, snarling at me. "Now release me."

"Please!" I begged again, but she had lost any patience she'd been holding onto.

"Get your disgusting hands off me!" She shouted, slapping me hard across the face and forcing me to let go as my cheek stung.

She let out a sharp huff and straightened out her coat, as I left my head bowed and fists clenched tightly at my side; her letting out a few last parting words for me.

"And you will do best not to touch me in the future, you foul brat."

The bell chimed as she walked out the door and it shut behind her, and I could feel everything around me falling apart. I wanted to scream and curse and hit a wall and cry, all at the same time, but I couldn't. At least, not here. So I walked to the door, flipping the sign to 'closed', and went to the back room; where I promptly sank to the ground in a corner and fell to pieces.

* * *

Hayato was worried. _Beyond_ worried. Kosuke had been late to school the past couple of days and when Hayato asked about it, he just waved it off and said it was nothing. He'd just slept in. Hayato knew it was more than that though. The past few weeks, Kosuke had been showing up with dark bags under his eyes and he'd been falling asleep during his lessons. His grades had started to take a dip too, though it was obvious that Kosuke was trying his best; if the furrowed brows and messy hair from pulling his hand through it all the time, was any clue. What was _really_ strange though, was that Kosuke had been getting picked up by some cab everyday right after school. Hayato hadn't been bothered by it, at first, but Kosuke literally had _no_ chance of talking to him. They were best friends, after all. But with Kosuke either studying or sleeping during their breaks and leaving right after school, Hayato couldn't so much as get a word out.

So, after weeks of watching his friend slowly grow more and more exhausted and shut in, Hayato decided enough was enough, and he called up a group of people he knew could help him figure out what was going on: the hosts. He'd gotten their numbers after he'd helped get them out of the bakery while Kosuke's mother was there, and willingly offered up his... _services_ should they need to know anything about Kosuke—within reason, of course. He figured now was as good a time as any to get a hold of them to help him figure things out. He knew Kosuke would be at the bakery right after school and made plans to meet them there, but after that, things would get a bit more complicated. He couldn't go in the bakery, after all. Though he thought that he might be able to if he came in with the hosts. So when they showed up a block away in their limo, he was ready and eager to fill them in on what was going on.

"What is wrong with my darling son?!" Tamaki questioned immediately, and Hayato quickly shushed him.

"Sh! Be quiet, blondie! If you keep it down, I'll tell ya."

The twins gave him confused looks.

"What's up with the..."

"...secrecy?"

" **Is he hiding something?"**

Hayato nodded, glancing down the street towards the bakery to make sure they hadn't been spotted yet. "Yeah. At least, I think he is." He turned back to the group, who were now listening eagerly. "That's why I call you guys. He's been acting strange ever since his mom showed up that one time, and I wanna know what's going on."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "And why can you not do this on your own?"

Hayato sighed. "Because. Kosuke's parents have a problem with me. They've banned me from the bakery under the claims that I 'distract the workers'." He explained, rolling his eyes and using finger quotes. "Truth is, they're just mad we hang out. They think Kosuke and I are together." He held up a finger then. "Which we're not, by the way." He then puffed out his chest proudly. " _I've_ got a girlfriend."

"The point?" Kyoya asked, not really caring for being dragged out there, it seems.

"The point is, if I have you guys around, that Chiharu chick will probably let me in. She can't kick all of us out. And that will give us a chance to see what's going on with Kosuke."

Haruhi raised her hand. "What exactly _is_ going on with Kosuke?"

Hayato gave them all a brief overview of what he'd seen and as he did, the faces of the hosts grew more and more concerned; especially that of a particular bunny-holding host.

"So you guys see why I'm bothered, yeah?"

The group nodded, Tamaki putting a hand up to his chin in thought.

"That does seem odd."

"Right?" Hayato gestured to the bakery then. "Come on then. Let's go check it out."

The group started heading towards the bakery, but Honey tugged on Hayato's jacket, a worried look on his face.

"How come Ko-kun didn't tell you anything? You're best friends, right?"

Hayato nodded. "Course, but that's just the kind of person he is. Doesn't matter what kind of problem he's in, he likes to keep things to himself. He's determined to prove himself, I suppose. To _who_ , I have no clue. I guess his parents would be a good answer, but I get the feeling it's more than that, you know?" Hayato looked down at the small blonde. "Not just that, but Kosuke's been hurt before by people he's trusted. So I suppose he's put up some walls since then. Keeps to himself to keep from getting hurt again." Hayato looked back up then, tucking his hands into his pockets as the other hosts listened in as well. "I've heard him get in spats with his parents before, but he always let's them say whatever until they say something about me." He chuckled then. "He's kind of like a dog, you know? Loyal to a fault. Protects those close to him, no matter what, but takes any scolding given to himself like he deserves it or something." His smile dropped then, into a softer, more fond one. "I guess that's why I like him. In the non-sexual way, of course. He's strong. Sort of grows on you." He held open the door as the hosts entered the bakery, winking at Honey. "Like a fungus."

Honey could help the small smile that appeared on his face, but the moment Kosuke caught sight of the group, Honey could tell something was wrong. All the color drained from Kosuke's already pale face and his eyes darted to the side where Chiharu sat, magazine in hand and the loud snap of gum adding to her presence in the room. Hesitating, he went over to them, keeping his eyes down cast as he spoke.

"Table for eight, yes?"

The group nodded silently and Kosuke bobbed his head back, before leading them over to a large booth, setting menus on the table and pulling out a small notepad to take their orders.

"A-Are you guys ready to order, or would you like some more time?"

"Give us some more time, thanks." Hayato answered before the others could say anything and Kosuke nodded.

"Anything to drink w-while you wait?"

"Water." He said, looking around and getting nods from the others in agreement.

"Eight waters. I-I'll be back with them in a minute." Kosuke muttered, before hastily moving away as someone across the room raised their hand and he changed direction to head that way.

Immediately, the hosts began speaking in quiet voices about what they'd just witnessed.

"You're right."

"He's definitely a little..."

" **...off, isn't he?"**

"Told you." Hayato muttered, eyeing Kosuke as he politely refilled a table's tea and rushed back to the counter to get their waters and food for another table. "There's definitely something going on. I just wish he'd tell me so I could help."

"He _does_ seem a bit strange." Tamaki commented and Kyoya glanced over at Kosuke briefly.

"He's a bit pale and the dark rings suggest lack of sleep." He turned back to Hayato. "How long has he been like this, you said?"

"A few weeks." Hayato replied, the worry growing in everyone as Kosuke finally made it back with their drinks.

"I apologize for the wait. Here are your waters."

He began passing cups around and took a large pitcher and left it on the table, avoiding eye contact the whole time as he pulled out his notebook again.

"Are you ready to order?"

The group began giving their orders, half-heartedly up until it got around to Honey. Knowing that beating around the bush would do them no good in this case, he got straight to the point.

"Ko-kun, what's going on?"

Everyone's breath hitched at his directness and Kosuke finally lifted his gaze to look at Honey's surprisingly serious expression.

"You're acting really strange and we're just worried. You don't look good and we want to help."

Kosuke opened his mouth, but his gaze suddenly shifted as a loud 'snap' filled the brief silence. His eyes met with Chiharu's as she peeked at him from over her magazine, chewing once more on the gum she'd just popped, and Kosuke looked back at Honey quickly; putting on a crooked fake smile.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean. C-C-Could you give me your order, if you're ready please?"

Honey's expression soured, turning into a small frown as Kosuke shuffled on his feet nervously; a bead of sweat trailing down the back of his neck at the senior's stern gaze.

"A piece of strawberry cake, please." Honey finally replied and Kosuke quickly scribbled it down, pen stopping, but remaining poised until only silence followed.

He looked back up from the paper at Honey, a bit of confusion showing on his face. "I-Is that, um... is that... all?"

Honey nodded, looking away from him stubbornly. "I'm not that hungry."

"..." Kosuke stared for a moment, before he seemed to come to his senses and shook his head. "Right. Sorry. I'll, uh... be right back with your food."

Kosuke left the table and the group watched as he promptly bumped into a customer's chair, tripping slightly before hurrying to bow out an apology and continuing to the counter; looking more than a little frazzled. Haruhi, sensing something was up, spoke.

"Honey? Are you feeling alright?"

The twins agreed. **"Yeah."**

"You're usually..."

"...eating half the shop by now."

Honey continued to frown, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes focused on a single spot on the table in front of him.

"I'm just not hungry." He grumbled, though the hosts all got a feeling that it was more than that.

Thing was, none of them could figure out why. This hadn't happened before with the older host. It was strange to see his usual cheerful persona gone and replaced with this more serious role. They knew better than to push it though and focused back on the topic at hand.

"So what are we going to do?" Haruhi asked, breaking the tension that had overcome the table at Honey's change in character. "We can't just leave him like this."

Hayato nodded. "You're right, but there's some questions that need answering first."

" **Like what?"**

He nodded his head towards Chiharu. "Like why she's just sitting around and Kosuke's doing all the work. Not to mention the way Kosuke looks at her like she's going to eat him. Something went on when his mother dropped by, and I don't like it."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses then. "You keep mentioning his mother in a negative context. I'm guessing they don't get along?"

Hayato scoffed, sipping at his water. "Get along? His parents _hate_ him."

" **What?"** The group questioned in surprise, though some more surprised than others.

Hayato gave them a look. "You guys didn't know? He didn't tell you?"

The group exchanged glances, before looking back at Hayato.

"Tell us what?" Haruhi asked.

Hayato opened his mouth, but Kosuke was returning and he quickly spoke. "I, uh... I'll tell you later."

Kosuke started picking up plates and passing them out to the correct hosts, but the moment he picked up the strawberry cake piece to hand to Honey, he hesitated. Honey glanced up at him and they locked eyes for a second, before Kosuke snapped out of it and set the plate down in front of him. Honey's eyes widened though, quickly returning to normal as Kosuke nervously spoke up to the rest of the hosts.

"I-If there's anything else you need, please, don't hesitate to ask."

He bowed and headed off to help out some other customers, in a rush, but Mori had caught the small exchange between him and Honey that everyone missed, and brought it to their attention.

"Mitsukuni."

Honey looked up and all eyes went to him as he spoke quietly. "He... mouthed that he was sorry." He then lifted up his plate and pulled out a slip of paper that had been hidden underneath. "And I saw this."

He pushed it to the middle of the table and Tamaki picked it up, quickly looking it over and speaking in a somber tone.

"It says he can't talk here and to meet him at a park a few blocks from his house at 11." Tamaki looked up at them, eyes sad. "And that he's sorry."

The group exchanged worried glances, but silently agreed to all meet up where Kosuke had planned, hoping that now, they would have some answers; and their earlier conversation about Kosuke's parents was momentarily forgotten in their concern.

* * *

I walked tiredly towards the park where I'd promised to meet the hosts, head pounding against a headache that had been pestering me since early yesterday morning and my body feeling like it weighed far more than it should. I was completely exhausted, but I know I needed to let the hosts and especially Hayato, know what was going on. I kept an eye out though. My parents couldn't know that I was outside right now or who _knows_ what they'd do. I was supposed to be inside studying, but even that wasn't going well for me these past few weeks. Despite my best efforts, my grades had dropped and sales at the bakery weren't going as well as they should. One most days, I'd end up staying there late and—on occasion—into early morning trying out new recipes in an attempt to boost sales. This, in turn, was part of the reason I had been late to classes recently. Add that on top of trying to keep up with my classes, and I doubted I could keep this up for much longer.

Finally, I reached the park and was unsurprised to see the hosts gathered around a swing set nearby; Tamaki and Hayato being the only two actually sitting. The moment they caught sight of me though, Hayato shot up out of the swing and hurried towards me.

"Kosuke! Dude, you look like a train wreck!" He said, eyes worried as he put his hands on my shoulders and looked me over.

"I know." I muttered, bringing a hand to my head with a wince at his exclamation. "But look. I need to hurry this up. If my parents find out I'm not home, they're going to flip and I'd rather things didn't get any worse than they already were."

Haruhi stepped up, looking at me worriedly. "Kosuke, what's going on?"

" **Yeah. You wouldn't even look at us, at the bakery."** The twins commented; one sitting in the swing Hayato vacated as the other idly hung onto the chain.

"I know. I know. I'm sorry, really, but I had no choice." I tried to explain. "You have to understand. My parents and I aren't on good terms with each other. So when I was late the other day and my mom was there, things didn't turn out very good."

"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked and I sighed, trying to ignore how my vision shifted slightly.

"My mother's convinced that I've been slacking off at the bakery. She thinks that what happened that day, wasn't the first and won't be the last, so she made sure it wouldn't happen again."

"What did she do?" Hayato asked, gaze serious.

I crossed my arms over my chest, shivering slightly in the cold, winter air as I hugged myself and explained; eyes downcast. "I get picked up by some friend she has in a cab service and taken from school straight to the bakery. Once there, Chiharu get's off work and I have to do everything myself."

"What?!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"You can't run that whole place by yourself!"

"Tell that to her." I grumbled, rubbing one of my eyes with the palm of my hand to clear the fog that drifted through my vision for a moment. "Chiharu is supposed to stay and watch me though, and reports back to my mother. _Said_ mother, doesn't want me getting _friendly_ with the guests anymore. That's why I couldn't talk to you guys."

"You've got to be kidding!" Hayato shouted loudly, making my head ring. "That stupid egotistical, conceited idiot doesn't know what she's doing! Seriously! What the hell is her problem?!"

I sighed, knowing that there was no way to get Hayato to stop once he got going, and I tried to ignore the headache that ached right behind my eyes that was being aggravated by his shouting. I felt myself wobbled a bit though and got the feeling that I should sit down, but a small someone blocked my way.

"Ko-kun, are you okay?"

"Yeah. no. I'm fine. It's just a headache, Honey. Honest." I said, lying through my teeth, and I got the feeling he knew I was lying, but before he could say anything, there was a shout.

"I knew it!"

At the sound of the woman's voice and the click-clack of her heels, I lifted my gaze from Honey's and swallowed thickly, realizing that my headache was about to get a million times worse.

"M-Mother? W-What are you doing—"

She cut me off before I could finish, ignoring me. "I just called your apartment, figuring I'd check up on your studies since I got a call from your teacher saying your grades had dropped. When you didn't answer I just _knew_ you were out gallivanting with some of your _pesky_ boyfriends and decided to drop by and see for myself. And here you are."

"They're not my boyfriends! And I was just telling them what was going on so they wouldn't worry!" I said, my eyes shifting nervously to the group of hosts, trying to see their reactions because at this point, they would know about my sexuality.

And the last time someone found out, it didn't exactly end well.

"Yeah, lady! Get a clue!" Hayato argued and my eyes quickly snapped to him as he defended me. "We're his friends! And the only reasons his grades have dropped is because you're working him like a slave!"

"Hayato, stop." I said, trying to end things before they could get any worse, but Hayato wouldn't listen.

"No way! It's about time someone told this lady about what kind of monster she really is and I'm tired of sitting back and watching you work yourself into the ground trying to please her! I don't care if your dad's some police chief and arrests me either!" He snapped, turning to me as I looked back at him worriedly. "I'm tired of seeing my best friend turn into a mess because your parents are too stupid to see that, just because you're gay, doesn't mean you're not worth anything!"

"H-Hayato—"

"No! I'm done, Kosuke! I'm done pretending nothing's wrong! Because the way they treat you _is_ wrong! You're a great person, an amazing friend who makes people happy with that silly little bakery you work at, and who _cares_ if you like guys?! So what?! You deserve to be happy to and not have people like this looking down your back and making you miserable!" He paced for a second, a hand messing up his hair. "God dammit, I just want to see you happy, Kosuke! I miss that little half-smirk and your laughter, and the way you get embarrassed and upset with me when I bring up a guy! So screw your mom! Screw your dad too! I'm gonna find a way to get you that damn bakery and your parents won't get a single penny from it!"

I was shocked, stunned speechless because Hayato was standing up for me like he's never done before. He never went this far with my mom, never said anything other than getting upset and talking about her behind her back. But this? This was so much more than that. He was defending me. _Truly_ , honestly defending me and willing to possibly go to jail to do it. So when my mom spoke up again, it was _my_ turn to snap.

"You stupid little mangy rat." She snarled at him. "Like you have to power to do anything for him! He's still our responsibility and I'll have him do whatever I see fit! You're just some childish, homosexual _faggot_ who's obviously influenced Kosuke into becoming some idiotic _queer_ himself! I'll make sure to have you and your little group of whores over there arrested!"

"Don't you _dare_ talk to them that way!" I shouted, stomping over to her with a fury I'd never felt before. "Don't you talk about my friends that way! What the hell do you know about them?! What the hell do you know about _me_?! I'll tell you what, nothing! And I'm not going to have you talk about them like this! Not ever! Not to the people who stick up for me, because you're too bitchy about getting your own way!"

She took a step back, her expression shifting slightly into one of fear.

"And you know what? Hayato's right! I'm tired of doing everything you say and getting nothing out of it! So I'm going to hurt you the one way I can. I _quit_! I won't show up at the bakery anymore, so good luck running that all on your own! I'll study hard for myself! I'll earn money for myself! I'll find a better job and start up my own bakery one day, and you'll never hear from me again except when you and dad are bankrupt and sitting on that old ratty couch in front of the TV hearing about me! So what if I'm gay?! At least now I don't have to get crap from my own family about it anymore, because I'm done! I'm leaving and I'm moving out of my apartment and I'll go out on my own and make a living without you! I don't need you, but you sure as hell needed me, so see how well you get along without me!" I shouted, huffing and puffing afterwards and ignoring how I couldn't even see correctly at this point, much less hear whatever curse my mother snipped at me as she hurried off.

In fact, I couldn't hear much of anything. I couldn't seem to move either. Someone shook my shoulder a bit, sounding happy about something, but I couldn't respond and soon, it felt like a relief just washed over me and my body relaxed; dropping me to the ground and into unconsciousness.

"Kosuke!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Is he going to be okay?" Honey asked the doctor Kyoya had called up once they'd managed to drive Kosuke to his home; with Hayato's help.

The doctor nodded with a small smile. "He'll be alright in the next day or so. It was over work and exhaustion, mostly. Though it's rare to find that in someone this young."

Kyoya stepped forward and shook the man's hand. "Thank you, doctor. Just put send the bill to me."

"Of course, Mr. Ootori." The doctor replied, before leaving the hosts and Hayato in silence.

Hayato was the first to do anything, letting out a sigh and pulling a hand through his hair. "I can't believe that woman."

The hosts all nodded their agreement, but Haruhi was the first to ask the vital question.

"Why does she treat him that way? You wouldn't think he had many problems, with how he acted, but that was rough."

" **Yeah. Hate to see how his dad is."** The twins commented.

"Hayato?" Tamaki spoke up, giving the young man a worried look. "Could you tell us about Kosuke and his parents?"

Hayato sighed, but nodded. "Sure. He probably won't be happy about it later, but I think it's about time you guys know what's going on." He glanced up at a clock then and scratched his head. "It'll be a while though, so I suggest you cancel any plans you've got tomorrow and tell whoever's over you guys that you'll be staying over."

Kyoya held up his phone. "It's already been done. I contacted our families the moment he collapsed."

"Well aren't you on top of things." Hayato commented, before clapping his hands together and getting up off the floor. "Alright then! Get comfortable, fellas. I'll make the popcorn and do you want anything to drink?"

Haruhi raised a brow. "Uh, I thought this was supposed to be a serious matter?"

He nodded, already heading towards the kitchen. "It is. But food's always a good thing to have on hand and you'll find that..." He paused for a second before giving her a small smile. "...that I handle things a bit differently than most."

He then bounded into the kitchen and called out to them a moment later as the smell of popcorn filled the apartment.

"Soda? Water? Tea? Juice? Come on, guys, take your pick! I even think there's strawberry milk around here somewhere!"

The hosts called out what they wanted and Haruhi rolled her eyes before getting up and helping and soon the group were all set up on the floor and couch with food and drinks as Hayato got on to telling them about Kosuke.

"Alright, so first thing's first. I've only known Kosuke since we started high school. He was the kind of kid who always sat in the back and stared out the window. You know, stayed quiet, kept to himself. The kind that don't want to be bothered. But the weird thing was, he had these rumors floating around school."

"How's that weird?"

"Yeah. Every school's got rumors about someone." The twins shrugged.

Hayato nodded. "Yeah, but how many of those are about people no one talk to? And I don't mean just quiet, I mean _dead silent_. I don't think I heard a single word out of him until about three months into school. And that was only because I left something in the class room and caught him talking to the teacher."

"What kind of rumors?" Honey asked, drawing his attention.

"Not the usual, that's for sure. There was one that got my attention though. One that he was seen with another guy in the back-alley beside the bakery. I was curious and decided to check this rumor out." Hayato shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a curious guy. And he was an interesting person. Couldn't help myself and I happened to be craving a Danish."

The twins scoffed at his attempt to lighten up the atmosphere, but he just winked and went on.

"He caught me about the third time I'd shown up and asked me about it. I told him the truth and he explained that the rumors were lies. Said they'd caught him meting up with a delivery guy and he had been trying to buy some supplies for some cake he was making on the side without his parent's permission, hence the secrecy. After that though, I kept popping up at the bakery and he got used to me; the two of us become friends. Even predicted my order a few times." Hayato smiled fondly, but Kyoya pushed up his glasses.

"And his parents?"

"Yeah... I didn't find out about his trouble with them for a long while, actually. He never really talked about them and I didn't really ask. I only found out about them when he brought up coming out to them as gay."

"So he _is_ homosexual then." Kyoya muttered and Hayato nodded, eyeing the group of hosts for their reactions.

This was the important part. This was the part that decided whether Hayato continued to talk to them about Kosuke or whether he needed to kick them out now and let Kosuke know that they weren't the kind of people he thought they were. He knew that Kosuke hid his sexuality from people in order to keep from getting hurt; especially after what happened with his ex. So he wasn't surprised that the group didn't know, but he wouldn't allow them to stick around if they were going to hurt Kosuke because of this fact; mentally or physically.

"Yeah, he is." Hayato said bluntly and Tamaki made a face.

"But why didn't he tell us?"

Hayato turned to him, gaze serious. "Because he didn't want to put himself out there to get hurt again. You don't tell people that kind of thing unless you know for sure that they won't use it against you."

"You said 'again'? Did someone hurt him before?" Haruhi asked, and Hayato nodded.

"Other than the usual bullies in school who believe the rumors?... His ex. Things didn't end well between them and Kosuke was pretty messed up after that for a while."

"What do you mean?" Honey asked, but Hayato shook his head and held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, but that is one story I'm not going to tell. It's his job to let you know. Not mine."

The group nodded, understanding the logic behind this and Hayato tried to get things back on track.

"Anyway, the thing with his parents is stupid. You see, his dad's a police chief and his mom works as an editor for some big time magazine. They've got reputations and hearing that their son was gay threw them in for a loop. For one thing, they're not really big believers of gays to begin with. I think Kosuke's mentioned before that his parents consider it a disease or a phase. They're in denial about the whole thing and see him as the one black spot on their record. The disappointment, I suppose. His grandfather was the only one who was completely fine with it. Practically raised him, since his parents hated him for coming out. When he died though, things grew worse for Kosuke because they _had_ to pay attention to him now." Hayato paused, sipping out of the soda he'd nabbed from Kosuke's fridge.

"Why aren't you allowed in the bakery?" Kyoya asked and Hayato nodded, clearing his throat and pointing at him.

"Right. That. I was the one who went with him to come out to his parents see? His ex, for some reason, didn't want anything to do with it, so I was his support that day. Parents took it the wrong way though, and thought _I_ was the one he'd been dating behind their backs. I tried to convince them I was straight— _and_ in the market for a girlfriend—but they wouldn't listen and told me to stay out of the bakery because I was a 'bad influence' on Kosuke. Like _I_ was the one who 'turned' him gay." Hayato shook his head. "Like I said, they're idiots."

"But they can't do that." Haruhi said with a frown, her inner lawyer coming out. "It's against the law to discriminate against people for no good reason in a shop. You could've gone in if you wanted to."

"Yeah, but then they'd punish Kosuke for allowing it and I didn't want to do that. You've all seen him in that bakery. He's actually _happy_ there. None of the fake smiles and crap you'd usually see. Genuinely happy. Hard to see him do more than a little smile outside the place." Hayato glanced towards the entrance of the hallway then, eyes worried. "Which is why I wonder what he's going to do now. Without the bakery, he'll have nothing. It'll tear him apart, I know it."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Tamaki asked, the others quickly agreeing upon seeing the whole situation. "He was only trying to defend us."

Hayato grimaced. "I don't know, really. I know I talked a big game earlier, but I haven't got the slightest idea on how to get the bakery from his parents. He told me he was supposed to inherit it from his grandfather when he turned eighteen, but that's not for another year."

Kyoya frowned in thought. "What's the situation with the bakery, other than that?"

"Oh, you mean with his parents and stuff? As far as I know, Kosuke was working there and handling everything except Chiharu's pay. She was paid by his parents for keeping an eye on him and making sure he didn't flirt on the job—not that he would. The only other thing was that they'd take a good chunk of the profits, leave him just enough to get by with this apartment and keep the shop running. It kept the whole family afloat. Least, that's what it sounded like. It was his bargaining chip with them. He could threaten to quit and they'd lower the punishment out of fear of that. Thing was, Kosuke liked the job so much, they hardly believed him and never took him seriously. Like I said, that job was his life."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Haruhi said, determined and the others nodded in agreement.

Hayato grinned suddenly though, surprising them. "I'm glad he found you guys. It's about time he's gone out and made some new friends."

Honey tilted his head curiously. "Doesn't he have friends?"

"Other than me, no. Like I said, he's pretty closed off from people at school. He's not very social and it takes a while before he lets anyone get close. He likes you guys though. I can tell. He was spacing out more often and when I'd bug him about it, he'd get all embarrassed! Haha." Hayato laughed. "I can see why he likes you too. You guys are pretty nice, rich or not. And it's not often he finds someone so accepting of him."

Honey nodded with a smile on his face. "Uh-huh! Ko-kun's super nice too! I like him a lot!"

Hayato seemed a little surprised for a second, before smiling back and getting up from the floor. "Well, I'm gonna grab some blankets and pillows and then we can hit the sack. It's already past two in the morning."

The group agreed and began yawning, before everyone was settled down and taken care of. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, after all. Especially if they came up with a plan on how to help Kosuke get the bakery.

* * *

I woke up slowly, vision foggy as my eyes tried to adjust to the light in the room, and feeling far more tired than I should, considering I'd been sleeping for who knows how long. I still had a headache, but it wasn't as bad as it could be and I _did_ feel better physically. Emotionally though was a different story. I couldn't believe what I'd just done. I'd quit the bakery. The only thing I had left, and I threw it away because my mom said some mean things about my... friends. Because that's what they were, right? I didn't know them very well, but they were people who stuck with me so far. They were nice and worried about me. And I'd just given everything up for them. But doubt lingered in my stomach. _Did I really do the right thing?_

I sat up and brought a hand to my head, wincing slightly as the pain doubled for a second before subsiding. I got up though and grabbed some things, heading for the shower and trying to cope with what I'd done. _What am I going to do now? I still have school, sure, but... the bakery was all I had. It was everything to me. Getting up early, baking, seeing regular customers happily eating what I'd made. And now... what do I have left?_ I felt my throat tighten with the possible onslaught of tears, and I let out a half-strangled sob as I stood under the spray of the shower. I brought a hand to my face, muffling the sobs as tears slid down my face along with the water, as I cried; feeling everything that had happened up until now crushing me under it's weight. Because I had nothing. I had nothing left. I couldn't go to the bakery, my parents were going to throw a fit, the hosts probably hated me now that they knew what I was really like, and everything was falling apart. So I did the only thing I could. I sat in the bottom of the shower and cried until the water turned cold and I was shivering; having run out of tears.

I half-heartedly cleaned myself up and got dressed in some sweats and a hoodie, before leaving the shower and heading into the living room; having not expecting the smell of food nor the noise of all the people I had in my home.

"Kosuke! You're awake!" Hayato said loudly, drawing all eyes to me, though I was more focused on the fact that he was wearing my apron and actually _cooking_. "Look! I made breakfast!"

My eyes trailed over the hosts eating off of full plates and the arrangement of food still left on the table, before I looked back at him.

"Didn't poison it, did you?" I asked bluntly and he pouted.

"Mo, Kosuke! I wouldn't poison it! My cooking's fine! Right guys?"

The group nodded with murmurs that it was 'okay, for commoner food', and I sat down at the table with them as a plate of food was pushed my way. I wasn't really hungry, but I knew that not eating would make them worried so I forced myself to eat a little of the food. Really though, I was more surprised they were all still here. So I voiced my thoughts; gaze not lifting from my plate.

"Why are you all here?"

"Do you not remember?" Tamaki asked me in confusion. "You collapsed from exhaustion, so we brought you here and had a doctor look at you."

" **Yeah. We were taking care of you."** The twins said, Haruhi following.

"You mean _Hayato_ was taking care of him."

I glanced up briefly to see the two of them shrug before my eyes caught Honey's and something in my stomach twisted.

"Do you not want us here, Ko-kun?" He asked, and my eyes quickly darted to my plate as I shook my head.

"It's not that. I... I was just wondering, is all." I muttered, taking another bite of my food to distract myself.

I could practically feel the eyes on me and wanted nothing more than to get up and leave; go for a walk or something. But I couldn't even motivate myself to finish my food, much less walk out. One by one though, the hosts left the kitchen and went to figure out what movie to watch—them having decided that hanging out for a bit here would be fun—and I was soon left alone with Hayato and Honey. Hayato though, knew something was up and washed his hands before dropping the apron over the back of an empty chair and giving me a pat on the back.

"I'll go make sure they don't mess anything up."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Sure thing." He murmured, leaving the room.

Once he was gone, things fell into silence; the only sounds being the muffled voices in the other room from the others.

"I'm sorry, Honey." I said, finally pushing my plate away and facing him. "For snapping at you that time I'd gotten off the phone. I had been talking to my mother and... was upset." I looked down at my hands that were wringing themselves on the table in front of me. "And now you guys know why. I'm sorry for keeping it from you and the others."

"Ko-kun, I'm not upset about any of that." Honey said, and I worried that he may be upset about me being gay and not telling him.

"R-Right. I was going to tell you. Honest." I said rambling a bit. "I just didn't know you guys that well and had no idea how you'd react, or even when the right timing was. I don't even know why you guys are still here after finding out how screwed up I am." My hands were shaking slightly now and I could feel the tears starting to well up again, unable to hide behind the mask I usually had on thanks to the chaotic situation. "I-I mean, with my messed up family and being gay, y-you guys should've been long gone. S-S-So I don't understand w-why you're all still here. I-I can't even get you guys things at the bakery anymore. I-I just... I-I don't know what I'm going to do now."

The tears I thought I'd ran out of, began to fall once more and I tried to wipe my eyes and make them stop, but it was useless.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I cried, getting up and making to leave, but a hand grabbed mine and stopped me.

"Ko-kun, look at me."

I shook my head. "N-No. No, I can't. I-I can't let you see me like this. I'm not s-supposed to be crying."

"Ko-kun, it's okay to cry and be upset."

I shook my head more adamantly. "N-No! No, it's not okay!"

"Yes, it is." Honey pushed, his hand tightening on mine. "Ko-kun, crying because you're upset isn't a bad thing. It doesn't make you weak or silly or anything like that. And Ko-kun, we're here because we want to help you. We don't care about your mean family or that you're gay. You're a nice person. You're kind and gentle and you help people feel happy even when you're having a bad day. And I don't want you to keep feeling sad."

I finally looked back at him, tears having started to slow to a stop now. "B-But I'm gay. I'm gay a-and I didn't tell you guys. You should be mad o-or disgusted with me. You shouldn't be around me."

Honey frowned and I winced, looking away once more. "Ko-kun, we don't care that you're gay. You can like whoever you want, and that doesn't change the fact that we're your friends and we want to help you."

"Y-You don't care?" I questioned, still in disbelief.

"Nope." He said, starting to smile. "We like Ko-kun no matter what."

I could hardly believe it. All my life since I'd come out to my parents and broke it off with my ex, I've been afraid to tell anyone else. I've been afraid of what they'd think about me, if they'd treat me differently, if they'd attack me even. But the hosts didn't care. They weren't going to treat me any different and they were even going to help me.

"I-I... I don't..." I couldn't get the words out and Honey chuckled, sending a nice red tint of embarrassment up my neck and to the tips of my ears.

"Come on, Ko-kun. Let's go watch a movie." He chirped, squeezing my hand again and tugging me towards the door.

"It's about time you two got in here!" Hayato said loudly, smiles on everyone's faces despite my—probably messy beyond belief—appearance. "Hey, we can't choose between 'Spirited Away' or 'Howl's Moving Castle'! Help us pick."  
"U-Um, 'Spirited Away'?" I stuttered out and Hayato grinned before pointing dramatically at the twins.

"Ha! Told you he'd pick that!"

" **Whatever."** They both shrugged. **"Just start the movie!"**

"Yeah, yeah. I'm working on it!" Hayato countered, putting the movie in and pressing play as Honey pulled me over to the couch where he sat next to me and Mori.

The whole time though, he didn't take his hand off of mine and I mentally thanked him, because I think the one thing I really needed the most after the crazy day I'd had, was just someone there for me. And I was glad that it was him.


	7. Chapter 7

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it anymore. Two weeks. That's as far as I could last without working at the bakery and every second of every day seemed to last a million times longer than it should. It had gotten to the point where I got up every morning at five, like I used to while working at the bakery, and I'd just sit on the couch and stare at the blank TV until it was time to get ready or school. And after school? I'd go home and bake. Anything, everything. My entire fridge was full of tarts and pies and mochi and anpans. So much, in fact, that there wasn't any more room in my fridge for anything else. Not only that, but I'd run out of ingredients to make things, and I was slowly running out of money. I needed a job and _fast_ , but everywhere I applied to said I needed some sort of professional baking experience. That, and I was unable to use my work at the bakery to help me get a job because that would mean my possible employer would need to contact my mother _who_ , wouldn't you believe it, must hate my guts still because she hasn't so much as called since I quit. The only word I'd received from her was letting me know that I had until the end of next week to have found a new place to stay. You know, one of those 'this is your last chance to take it back' sort of things.

 _Like hell I'd take back what I said._ I frowned, not realizing that I was glaring heatedly at our teacher's back as he finished writing a math problem on the board. Of course, when the teacher turned around, I was quickly called on to solve the problem on the board and then scolded for not paying attention in class. Thankfully, I'd gotten no detention, but my actions did attract Hayato's attention and he confronted me after school.

"So what were you thinking about in class that had you giving the teacher a death glare, hm?"

"Nothing." I grumbled, earning a shove.

"Don't give me that! You were thinking about your mother, weren't you?"

I groaned. "Not only that, but all this freaking pressure that's stuck on me now! I've gotta get a job within the next couple of days or I'm not going to be able to afford a new apartment; what with my lease ending in a week. Add that on top of the mountains of sweets in my fridge and almost nothing else and I'll be lucky if I'm not some fat homeless person living in the park by the end of the month!" I realized I was drawing attention to myself as we exited the school and lowered my voice. "What am I going to do, Hayato?"

Hayato sighed. "I honestly don't know, Kosuke. I'd help you out if I could, but there's no room at my place for another person and I don't have any connections that could help you get a job."

He paused though, and I glanced at him only to pale at the look on his face. It's one of those slow smirks that creeps onto someone's face when they have an idea. Except with Hayato, I know better. _His_ ideas usually tend to be _very_ mischievous and, on occasion, illegal. There was one time he'd gotten that look on his face and we'd nearly gotten arrested. I would rather not recount that experience, but let's just say it involved sneaking into the petting zoo nearby and _borrowing_ one of their ostriches while wearing a stetson and carrying a whip; much like Indiana Jones. Ahem, anyway… As I was saying, that look on Hayato's face was anything _but_ good. And his idea? Not exactly what I planned on doing with my free afternoon.

"You want to _what_?!"

"Just do a little snooping, is all." Hayato pouted childishly as I grabbed his jacket and pulled him around the corner and away from the gigantic _pink_ school.

I held him up against the wall and immediately began scolding him. "We can't just break in to some private rich kids school because you think it'll be _fun_. And how the hell did you find this place anyway?"

He smiled innocently. "Easy! I just looked up the uniform your friends were wearing and presto! I got the school, the address, and even their club page! These guys are pretty famous in this place apparently. You should see all the hits their website—"

" _Hayato_! There is no _way_ we can do this!"

"Can't be that hard." He hummed, peering around the corner. "They should be getting out in a minute and we can just sneak in with the crowd and—"

"I am _not_ doing this."

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ we're doing this." I hissed under my breath as Hayato and I ducked around a corner and eyed the security guard walking through the hallway a little ways down.

Hayato grinned. "Think of it this way, it's _got_ to be more fun than whatever you were planning on doing when you got home."

I frowned, but he had a point. I was honestly just going to be looking up cheap places to live and job hunting again, maybe while snacking on some of the treats in my fridge. Instead, he had somehow convinced me to go along with him and sneak into Ouran High School where Honey and the other Host Club members went to school at.

"Over here!"

I blinked out of my reverie and hurried after Hayato, only to run smack dab into a young woman in a yellow dress. I heard someone shouting—a guard, most likely—and quickly bolted upright, helping the young woman up and scrambling out an apology.

"I'm sorry! Really, really sorry!"

"Kosuke!" Hayato called out in a panic and I turned to see a guard rushing my way.

Gulping, I quickly gathered up the woman's books and handed them to her with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry again. Bye!"

I bolted away from her then, missing the pink tint to her cheeks as he friends joined her and began chatting, before I grabbed Hayato and we both hurried away from the man; neither of us knowing just how much of a commotion I had caused by running into that student.

* * *

" **Welcome!"** The host greeted their guests all decked out in tropical paradise cosplays despite the rather chilly weather outside.

They had done this once before and tend not to repeat themselves, but the guests had more than enjoyed it the last time, so they all had agreed to do it once more. Odd thing was, some of the guests were a bit distracted and gossiping among themselves.

"Did you hear? About the intruders on campus?"

"I heard the security is on the look out."

"I heard they're commoners our age, which is why they haven't locked down the school."

"Do you think they're cute?"

"Someone said one of them had purple hair! Can you believe that?"

Tamaki leaned over then, putting on his charm to try and get more info from his gossiping guests.

"What are you beautiful ladies talking about? I won't be jealous, would I?"

The guests blushed, before one of them spoke up.

"N-No, Tamaki. We were just talking about the intruders on campus."

Tamaki grabbed her hand in his. "We will protect you, if they're dangerous, milady. There is no need to worry. We will be your Southern warriors."

She swooned as the other girls blushed and demanded their turns next, but Tamaki gave Kyoya a meaningful look and he nodded, picking up his cell phone to find out what the situation was. As he spoke to them though, Honey turned to Mori in worry.

"Neh, I hope they're not scary, Takashi."

"Ah."

One of his guests spoke up then, nudging the girl beside her. "Tell them."

Honey looked over at the shy girl as she blushed and rubbed her hands together.

"I-I don't think they're scary."

"You don't?" Honey asked, curious as girls at other tables started to listen in.

"I-I bumped into one of them."

Immediately the other hosts and guests circled Honey and Mori's table to hear her story.

"Was he tall?"

"Was he scary?"

"Dangerous even?"

The girl shook her head, a blush on her cheeks. "H-He was actually kind of… nice."

The guests started murmuring to one another as the girl went on.

"H-He helped me back up and picked up a-all my things that I dropped, apologizing a-and he, um… he was kind of mysterious b-but had this really sweet smile."

The girls cooed and, after getting nothing more from the girl, went back to their tables, coming up with their own ideas on who the mysterious intruders could be. Kyoya, meanwhile had informed the other hosts that the intruders only seemed to be a couple of high school guys probably looking for a thrill and should not be of any danger should they run into them. But now they had the hard task of getting their guests' attentions back, which would be a challenge in and of itself; especially because they were wondering about the intruders as well.

* * *

Hayato and I came to a stop, doubled over and panting as he checked around the corner for more security guards and slipped back down the hall with a wince.

"Alright, I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea."

"Ya _think?!_ " I hissed, looking around for a place to hide, but the marble bust would do little to hide us from the guards. "Let's just find an empty classroom to hide out in and bolt for it when they're gone."

"Alright, but I get to pick the room." Hayato grinned, but I immediately stopped him from opening the closest door.

"No way! You got us into this mess. Knowing you, you'll pick the door to the guards' office or something! _I'm_ picking the room."

Hayato pouted. " _Fine_."

I nodded, walking down the hall a bit before catching sight of a door-sign and pointing at the door. "How about this one?"

Hayato looked at the sign and made a face. "What school needs _three_ music rooms?"

I rolled my eyes. "Who _cares_. It just means that this room is most likely empty because they have two others."

Hayato shrugged and we heard footsteps heading our way so we quickly ducked into the room and pressed our ears against the door, listening as the guard hurried past and we both let out a sigh of relief before turning around and our eyes widened. All around us were pieces of a Southern jungle, from the fruit trees to the parrot squawking somewhere else in the room and then we saw the hosts, sitting at tables _shirtless_ and covered in ornate jade jewelery. My mouth dropped open in shock and Hayato snickered as he leaned over to me.

"Is it just me, or are we in one of your wet dreams?"

The tips of ears turned a vibrant red and I hastily punched Hayato in the shoulder, making him chuckle and give away our positions to the people in the room.

"That's him! That's the intruder who ran into me!"

I stiffened at the shout, turning around and panicking as Hayato rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Ah, I think we got caught..."

"Oh _really_?!" I snapped at him, before Tamaki stood up and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone, there's been a slight misunderstanding. These are actually friends of ours. There was just some miscommunication and everything will soon be sorted. They are _not_ intruders."

Some of the students let out sighs of relief, whereas others were eyeing us and giggling to one another. Hayato simply smiled and waved like the idiot he was, but I eyed everyone warily, never really being one for crowds. _Or noise… or girls…_ I swallowed thickly, before someone bounded over to me and grabbed me around the waist, startling me out of my reverie and knocking me to the ground with a grunt.

"Oof!"

"Ko-kun! What are you doing here?" Honey chirped from on top of me, his bright honey colored eyes looking up at me from my stomach as I sat up on my elbows with a bright red blush on my face.

 _H-He's not wearing a shirt. He's not wearing a shirt. He's_ not _wearing a_ shirt _!_ My mind repeated as the redness grew darker and traveled from my neck all the way up to the tips of my ears as Honey tilted his head with this mischievous smile on his face. It was then that I realized he had asked me a question and I quickly stuttered out a response.

"I-I-I, um… Hayato thought it'd be… fun? I-I had nothing to do so..."

 _Oh my God, a shirt. Somebody please get him a shirt!_ I swallowed the lump in my throat, squirming uncomfortably before Honey got up with a grin, pulling me up onto my feet, and dragging me over to where Mori was sitting with a group of girls.

"Come on, Ko-kun! You can come sit with Takashi and I!"

I hesitated, looking around the room in worry. This _was_ , after all, their club. One would think two strangers suddenly popping in out of nowhere would screw things up. So I tried to get out of it.

"I really think we should go, Honey. Security was looking for us and—"

Kyoya spoke up as we passed him, him hanging up his phone. "Already taken care of."

 _Not helping!_ I mentally shouted before I was pushed onto a couch and Honey plopped down happily beside me; three girls sitting across from us on their own couch looking at me curiously. I stayed perfectly silent for a bit, before Honey nudged me and gestured with his head towards the girls. I begrudgingly cleared my throat and gave them a little wave.

"Um, hello."

"Hi." One said softly, being pretty shy, whereas the other smiled brightly.

"I like your hair. Did you dye it that way on purpose?"

I reached up and tugged on the purple streaked bangs, peering at them as they dipped down in front of my eyes.

"Yeah. I sort of just did it. Spur of the moment thing, I guess. Parents weren't to happy, but..." I trailed off and shrugged a bit before the shy one spoke up.

"H-How do you know the hosts? Um..."

I realized then that I hadn't said my name and quickly blurt it out. "Kosuke. Kosuke Saito. Sorry. And they, uh, sort of showed up where I worked and offered to help me with some things, is all."

Honey nodded excitedly as my eyes slowly drifted to him in an attempt to get me out of this mess.

"Uh-huh! Ko-kun makes really good cakes and stuff!"

I wrung my hands together at his compliment, feeling more than a little out of my element here. "They're not _that_ great."

I was used to walking around and having the briefest of conversations with people, before helping another person with their order and heading in a back room to bake. Sitting down with customers and actually _talking_ to them wasn't really my thing and every second I sat on this couch was another second for me to steady grow more and more uncomfortable. Thankfully, Hayato came to save the day and popped up behind me along with the twins.

"Hey, Kosuke! These two gave me a great idea!"

 _That can't be good…_ I mentally worried because Hayato had that smile again, and the twins had their own mischievous smirks.

"U-Uh, what's that?"

"Wellllll, seems that their usual baker is going on maternity leave for a couple of months so, I thought—"

I paled. "No. N-No way. _Me?_ "

The twins shrugged. "Why not?"

"You're out of a job anyway."

I winced at that fact, knowing it was true, but not really sure on whether I'd take the offer. Honey though, looked more than excited and his eyes seemed to widen like saucers as he looked up at me pleadingly.

"Please, Ko-kun! I want to eat your cake _every_ day!"

The twins started doing it too. **"Yeah Kosuke. Pleaseeeeeee?"**

Haruhi, my savior, stopped by the table and gave them all an annoyed look. "Did you guys even ask Kyoya if it's okay? I doubt he'd appreciate it if you just went on deciding things without thinking about it.

The twins leaned heavily on my shoulders, giving her a bored look. "Why not?"

"Yeah, Tono does it all the time."

Honey nodded. "And it means we get to see Ko-kun dressed up too!"

I flinched, eyeing what little he was wearing as the heat traveled up the back of my neck once more, before I turned to them.

"I-I, uh, really don't think that's a good idea. I probably wouldn't look that great in those outfits anyway."

It was then that I realized I should've just kept my mouth shut, because it was as though I'd issued a challenge by uttering those fated words. And in an instant, everyone was muttering rather loudly to one another.

"He said he wouldn't look good?"

"That can't be right."

"I kind of want to see it now."

I slowly started to get up and back away from the group, only to bump into someone behind me. Said someone, was actually Kyoya and for a second I thought he'd let me go without a second look. Instead, he pushed up his glasses, making them flash in the light.

"All ingredients will be pre-ordered to your preference and a list of items you will be making will be discussed the day before. You will be paid for the time you spend baking, the quality of the goods, and their popularity within the club. And any new ideas that turn out well will also be added to you pay." He tapped something into a calculator he was holding, as I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying, and then held it out to me. "I assume this price to pay for your services would be enough?"

I looked at the number on the screen and felt my mouth go dry as I hesitantly raised my eyes to his.

"P-Per month?" I asked and he raised a brow.

"Per _day_."

I went slack-jawed at that, mentally crunching the numbers in my head and realizing that with that amount of pay I'd be able to, not only own a new apartment within the week, but also be able to afford my own little shop by the end of the previous baker's maternity leave. In other words, I could have everything I ever wanted if I took this job. _And I'd be able to stay with the hosts. With Honey._ I immediately stuck out my hand and shook Kyoya's.

"Say hello to your new baker."

He smirked; the noise behind us disappearing as everyone listened in. "Welcome to the Host Club."

The moment I let go of his hand though, two pairs of arms grabbed mine and started dragging me off towards some changing rooms in the back. I looked between the twins in confusion and surprise.

"W-What's going on? Where are we going?"

"You're a part of the club now." One said; Kaoru, I think.

"And all club members are required to wear the daily cosplays." The other said and I paled as their grins grew.

" **Welcome to the Host Club."** They snickered and I suddenly realized that I had made a deal with the devil.

* * *

"D-Do I have to come out in this?" I asked from the changing room, not really hating my cosplay, but feeling rather exposed in it.

 _No shirt, no shoes, no service, right?_ I grimaced as I lightly touched the bone tooth necklace hanging around my neck and the gold bracelets on my right wrist, wondering how much they were worth. Shaking the thought off, I heard responses from outside the room.

"Come on, Kosuke! You'll look great!"

"I wanna see, Ko-kun!"

I sighed, and came out of the changing room, hearing gasps and looking up to find even the guests standing there waiting for me.

"Um… ta-da?" I said hesitantly before the guests squealed.

"He looks _amazing_!"

"Are those real tattoos?!"

"Look at his arms! Does he work out?!"

I grew more embarrassed with every comment thrown out, shuffling awkwardly as I shifted my eyes towards the window in a vain attempt to hide my steadily reddening cheeks. And it only got worse when Honey hurried over and stood before me with a big grin.

"You look really handsome, Ko-kun!"

 _He's just… so_ damn _cute._ I heard snickers then and caught sight of Hayato and the twins whispering to each other and it was then I realized… _They know. They know I'm crushing on Honey._ I swallowed thickly, mentally panicking, though externally, I was as expressionless as usual.

"Um… thanks, I-I guess." I muttered, before Kyoya had the guests leave and I was allowed to change back into my school uniform.

I let out a soft sigh, feeling far more comfortable back in my own clothes, but the moment I was out of the uncomfortable feeling returned as Hayato and the twins headed over with those grins again.

"You're kind of red there, Kosuke."

"And you keep..."

"...staring at Honey-senpai."

" **Something we should know about?"**

"No." I said bluntly, ignoring the embarrassment that threatened to drown me as I grabbed my school bag and turned to Kyoya. "Is it alright if I just bring in some trail stuff tomorrow? I have some stuff at home, but if you need them fresh, I could whip something up with whatever's in the kitchen."

He nodded. "That's fine, just be sure to come right after school."

I bobbed my head in agreement and turned to Hayato with a frown as he spoke to the twins with a laugh, before I grabbed a hold of his ear and started tugging him to the door.

"O-Ow! Kosuke! Let go! It hurts!"

"Then maybe next time you won't drag me into this sort of mess." I grumbled, before bowing to the hosts. "I'll take my leave then. I best get this moron home before his mother panics."

"Bye Ko-kun!" Honey beamed, waving at me excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

That pink tint returned to my cheeks and I waved a little back, before Hayato snorted and I kicked him in the shin before dragging him out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

_I can't believe I got dragged into this._ I mentally complained, dragging my feet as I entered the pink school with a number large white boxes stacked up in front of me. They were things I had from home that needed to be eaten before they went bad, and I figured if really necessary, I could whip some stuff up in the club room. _Stupid Hayato. Thanks to him I'm stuck dealing with the crazy blonde and the twins, who I_ know _will tease me relentlessly._ I spotted the stairs ahead of me and let out a soft groan as I bit lightly on my bottom lip. _And then there's that. Who puts the music room on the third floor?_ Slowly and carefully, I began my trek up the stairs; doing my best not to drop any of the boxes or hit any of the many students that seemed to have _just_ got out of class. _As if things weren't bad enou—_ I was cut off as a couple of guys bumped into me, chasing one another down the stairs and through the halls. One threw out a half-hearted apology, but that hardly mattered with the top two boxes began to fall. Towards _me_ , of course. With a ' _splat_ ' I winced, hair covered in cake and frosting and the one box lying over my head as the others somehow stayed on my pile.

 _I hate this._ I grit my teeth tightly, feeling tears in my throat despite my attempts to shove them back. _Stop it. Stop it right now. You've been far too sensitive lately and i-it's just a spill. You can clean yourself up and make more. No big deal._ Or so I said, but that wasn't the main reason I was so upset. This was middle school all over again. People stared at me, girls giggled, and once again, I was an errand boy for others. I'd been pushed into enough things back then and had moved past them when I went to a high school. And as much as I tried to forget what happened (And I had. Ignoring the rumors at my school was easy enough, because they were just that. Rumors.), it was a million times harder to do so here when I was already tense with nerves.

 _This is why I didn't want to do this._ I mentally cried, forcing myself to remove the box on my head and place it back on my pile before continuing on my way; head down as I chewed on my lip. _With my parents, losing everything I had, dealing with these idiots teasing me every second, picking my grades back up, and who_ knows _what else… I'm at the end of my rope._ I sniffled once, but quickly put up a front as I reached the third music room; knowing that I couldn't worry them. _Not after the last time._ I felt my cheeks tint a bit as I reached for the doorknob, remembering when I'd cried in front of Honey. _I-I can't do that again._ Clearing my throat, I pushed the doors open with my hip and entered the room in the hopes that no one was around since they'd _just_ got out of class. But of course, I was wrong… again.

" **Welcome!~"**

I flinched, nearly fumbling the boxes again, but steadied myself as I got a good look around. They were dressed up again, this time as various occupations apparently. Mori was—only half wearing—a firefighter's outfit with the twins as astronauts, Kyoya as a surgeon, Tamaki as an airplane pilot and Haruhi as a judge or lawyer. Honey was a scientist with a lab coat on that was just a tad too big; the sleeves trailing over his hands and large circular glasses on his face. _God, damn, he is… wow._ A throat was cleared and I turned my pink cheeks away from him and to Kyoya as he walked over with a raised brow.

"I take it these are your samples?" He used his pen to lift a piece of my cake-crusted hair. "Had a little mishap, did we?"

"H-Hey, it's not _my_ fault some guys were chasing each other in the hall and bumped into me." I grumbled and he sighed.

"Place them in the kitchen in the back and get yourself cleaned up." He smirked then. "Your outfit is already back there."

"Right… Forgot about that." I murmured, before two boxes were taken off my stack and I looked over to see Mori. "Oh, um, thanks."

"Ah."

He took them to the kitchen and I went to take the other two as Honey quickly hurried over.

"I can take one too, Ko-kun!"

"Alright." I said, lowering my arms so he could take the one on top and when he did, I had to resist another blush.

 _He looks so cute. God damn, I am_ not _going to be able to stand much more of these cosplays if he constantly looks like this._ I took a deep breath and place the box down on the table in the kitchen, then grabbed a hand towel to dry my hair after I rinsed the cake off in the sink.

"We'll be outside waiting for your cake, Ko-kun!" Honey chirped and I waved him off as he and Mori left.

The cold water from the sink helped clear my head a bit, that is until I saw the outfit I was given.

"A real chef's outfit?" I murmured, holding the white hat in stunned shock.

 _I… I never thought I'd actually be able to wear one. I'd always wanted to go to pastry school and all, but this, even if it's just cosplay, is just…_ I swallowed past the thick lump in my throat and went about putting it on before getting in the mood of things and fixing up trays of the pastries and cakes that I'd brought. The ones that had ended up smashed, I grimaced at and set aside for now. _I can either use them in something else with a bit of adjusting, or I'll just take them back home when I'm finished. These are rich people, after all. I don't know what their tastes are like._ I then spotted the list Kyoya had set out for me and started the preparations for making the various cakes and deserts for when they were needed. _Don't know how big their fan base is either, so I don't want to make too many only to have insane amounts of leftovers. I'll do the recommended amount he noted down for now and have the ingredients out should I need to make more._ I went about doing my thing, before there was a knock on the door and Haruhi poked her head in.

"Kyoya wants you to come on out. We're getting ready to let the guests in and he says you need to be introduced."

"Ah, right. Sorry." I scrambled around for a moment and found a rag that I wiped my hands off on, before following her out.

"Ko-kun!" Honey grinned, waving from Mori's back. "You look so cool! Like a real chef! Come stand by us!"

"Sure." I replied, moving to stand beside them as the twins both opened the doors.

" **Welcome!~"** The group said in unison as the girls in yellow dresses immediately pooed in with coos at the group's outfits.

Kyoya though, pulled me aside and got everyone's attention. "Ladies, as you may have heard, our personal chef has gone on maternity leave, but our good friend as offered to work as her replacement. Some of you may have met him yesterday, but I'll reintroduce him for those who may not know. This is Kosuke Saito and he will be our pastry chef for an indefinite amount of time."

"Ah, hello." I bowed before straightening with an embarrassed flush to my cheeks. "It's nice to, um, meet you."

Some of the guests bowed back in response while others giggled and murmured to each other, making me slightly nervous. _God, it's weird when girls do that. I can never tell if they're saying nice things or gossiping…_ Kyoya released me to head back to the kitchen though, where I let out a small sigh of relief before getting back to work. It was… nice being able to bake like this again and not have to think about what was going on in my current life. Stress baking—as I had been at home—was far different, but I was actually calm now. I even got to go out and hand out my goods to the tables in order to get some feedback as to whether they liked what I was bringing out. _It's almost as if I'm back at the bakery… Man, I really miss it though. This is great, but not quite the same. I wonder how the regulars are doing now that I'm gone…_

"Ko-kun?"

I blinked out of my daze to see Honey and Mori poking their heads in at the door. "Ah, sorry. I was thinking. Something wrong?"

Honey grinned, climbing down from Mori's shoulders and bounding over to me happily; taking my flour covered hand.

"I'm glad you're here."

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. "A-Ah, well… I'm, um… I'm glad I'm here too. It's a bit different, but…" I clenched my other hand around the chef's shirt I was wearing. "…I suppose it's okay."

"Neh, neh! Can you show my table how you decorate a cake?"

"W-What?"

Honey beamed a smile at me. "With flowers and stuff! Like you did at the shop!"

My lips twitched down at the mention of the bakery, but I quickly pushed the feeling aside.

"Um, sure. I suppose I can. What kind of cake?" I looked over at the counter where a number of baked cakes sat. "I have chocolate, strawberry, marble—"

"Strawberry!" Honey cut me off. "It's my favorite!"

I nodded and lightly tugged my hand from his. "Alright. I'll be right out."

"Yay! Come on, Takashi!"

The two walked out and I pulled a shaking hand through my hair. _God, he's going to kill me with that cutesy act._ I went over and picked up the strawberry cake and set it on a cart that I was using to deliver sweets and breads to the tables. I then gathered the frosting and some fondant and a few small stands to make roses and made sure I had everything else I needed before I moved the cart to the door. I took a deep breath and let it out, a bit nervous. _Other than the hosts, I don't think I've ever made something in front of people before. Fondant roses, perhaps, but I usually don't get paid much mind by the customers. The hosts were the first to fawn over me for them. I hope their guests aren't easily bored by it or anything. It's just roses…_ I looked at the cart. _Maybe I should try something harder? But… No. if I try something too hard and screw up, I'll just look stupid._ I bit my bottom lip, before shaking myself out of it. _No. I'll just go out there and be myself. I-I… I've been losing my self-confidence ever since I started having issues with the bakery. I can do this. It's just like dealing with customers._ I took another deep breath, then pushed my cart out the door.

* * *

Turns out, it wasn't just Honey's guests that I was going to be demonstrating for. Word had gotten around and _all_ of the guests were seating in a neat half circle in eagerness. _Or is it anxiousness? Dear God, I_ really _want to just turn back around and duck back into the kitchen. An audience? What if I mess up? I'll get fired and have to go back to…_ I grimaced at the mental image of my small apartment and the messy kitchen with a fridge full of sweets and breads. My hand tightened on the handle of my cart and my right foot took a half step back; a bead of sweat rolling down the back of my neck before I was spotted.

"Ah, there he is! Our wondrous chef here to display his skills as an artisan." Tamaki grinned with a flourish, coming up and wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he moved me closer to the group. "Let us enjoy this young man at his work, shall we, ladies?"

He started up a small applause from them all, but it made me more nervous than before. _G-God, I've never been so nervous in my life. Not since… Not since coming out, and that was downright terrifying._ _W-What do I do? Do I say anything? Um, do I just start? Should I really just do roses? I-I… I can't do this. I just can't. I-I'm not even a real chef or baker or anything. I-I can't even keep my grandfather's shop running. I abandoned it. I abandoned my promise to him. I don't deserve to stand here and do this._

"Ko-kun?"

My eyes found Honey's as he hopped down from the couch and hesitantly took a step forward. _Oh, God… In front of him… I'm embarrassing myself in front of_ him _._ He took another step forward, cautiously and I shakily released the cart, stepping back.

"U-Um, I'm… I'm sorry." I murmured, feeling my heart racing in my chest as Honey tipped his head in confusion and some of the others started to stand as well, in concern. "I… I thought I could do this, but… I-I'm really sorry."

I turned and bolted for the kitchen, locking the doors, panting and out of breath as my mind ran rampant. _What am I doing? Oh, my God, what the hell am I doing?! Isn't this worse?! Shouldn't I have just stayed and dealt with it?! N-Now I've just embarrassed the hosts and caused all sorts of messes. I'll be fired for sure. I'll have to go back to that apartment. I-I'll need to go back to my parents and…_ I couldn't help the small whine that escaped me and I sank to the floor with my back against the door; removing the hat from my head and squeezing it tightly in my hands. _I don't deserve this… I don't deserve to even be here. All I've done is drag the hosts down with me. God, my parents were right… I'm a nuisance…_ I buried my face in my hat, only to stiffen as someone sat down beside me.

"What's wrong, Ko-kun?"

I looked over at Honey with wide eyes. "H-How…"

He smiled a little, pointing to a second door I hadn't noticed, and I had to very quickly duck my face again to hide my embarrassment. _How did I miss that?!_

"Were you nervous, Ko-kun?"

I flinched, biting my lip. "It's stupid." I muttered.

"Mm-nm." Honey denied. "It's okay to be nervous, but I think you would have done really good. We all love your deserts and it was tons of fun watching and helping you before. I just wanted to show everyone how great you are."

Heat quickly made its way up to my ears.

"I'm not great." I argued, lifting my head and looking down at the chef's hat I had. "I lost the bakery. I broke my promise with my grandfather. I dragged all of you guys and Hayato into my problems and look where it's got me. I'm losing my place in a few days, I can't eat, I can't sleep. My grades are falling again and I have no money for anything. I couldn't even make it up the stairs without messing up a-and being out there in front of everyone… I'm a screw up, Mitsukuni-kun. All I've ever done is ruin and drag people down with me. You guys, Hayato, my parents. They were right. I can't do anything without them. I should just call and apologize and—"

I was cut off as Honey slapped me across the face, startling me more than hurting me.

"Don't you say that." He argued, voice tight and when I looked over, his brown eyes were filling with tears. "Don't you talk like that, Ko-kun, because I think you're amazing! We all do. You worked so hard to try and show your parents that you were better than what they said. You were running that bakery all by yourself and I could never do that! Even now, you're trying your best and you came out because I asked, even if it made you nervous. You're not alone anymore, Ko-kun! You have all of us to help you and we never once thought you were a nuisance or a burden or anything! If you need something, you just have to ask us and we'll help you because we're your friends! And we don't want to see you like this. _I_ don't want to see you like this, Kosuke."

The use of my proper first name brought a lump to my throat as Honey grabbed me around my neck in a hug.

"I just want you to be happy and I will do _anything_ to make you happy."

He pulled away and in that moment, something must have possessed me, because I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. It was short as my mind clicked in to what I was doing and I abruptly pulled back with flaming red cheeks and a hand covering my mouth.

"S-Sorry. I'm so sorry." I breathed out, but Honey didn't move, didn't lean away or run.

No, he smiled.

"You're so cute, Ko-kun."

The blush multiplied tenfold and I felt a bit dizzy as he tugged me to my feet, placing his hands over mine on the chef's hat. _T-That's it? I kissed him and he's not going to get mad or anything?_ I looked down at him as he squeezed my hands and he smiled up at me softly.

"Neh, can you make me a bunny?"

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but helped get my mind back on track as to what I'd run away from and should be doing.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I probably could." I answered, mind going into baker mode and thinking up a few designs, before I was tugged down and something soft brushed my cheek.

My eyes went wide as my head snapped over to see a grinning Honey; who had just kissed my cheek.

"Then, let's go!" He chirped and my heart fluttered as I started to smile.

 _He kissed me… H-He likes me too! Oh my God, Honey actually kissed me!_ _I… I'm so happy…_


End file.
